Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is not for paediatrics. It is for adults first and then paediatrics. I have to put 16 in place and I will have nine at the end of this year. It is incremental. It is the only way we can get the staff and that is what we are doing.

It is important to point out that we know CAMHS is a specialist service for people under the age of 18 with moderate to severe mental health difficulties. It is not for everyone. Only 2% of young people will need the support of CAMHS. Sometimes what happens is that young people are referred to CAMHS by their GP, their family or one of the NGOs but primary care is probably more suitable for them. They are not always accepted. They do not always meet the criteria for CAMHS. This is a clinical decision I cannot interfere with. It is a decision taken by clinicians to determine whether they can give the best support. We have seen an exponential growth in eating disorders. When the clinical programme was devised in 2016 and 2017 it expected 60 referrals. Last year we had 504. Capacity is being pushed and pushed. I am trying to put the capacity back into it.

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