Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Over the weekend I received the devastating news from the Psychiatric Nurses Association, PNA, that 11 of the 23 CAMHS beds in Linn Dara have closed. I thank the association for informing me because it seems no effort was made by the Minister of State’s office to do so. When was she going to inform the public? Was she hoping that the closure of children’s mental health beds would simply go unnoticed? When did she find out there was a problem? What exactly has she done since finding out?

This is not the first time beds have been closed in Linn Dara. A similar incident happened in 2017. It seems the Government has learned nothing. Linn Dara inpatient units provide services for children and adolescents with severe or complex mental illnesses requiring a combination of intense interventions and supervision that cannot be provided by community and outpatient services. The closure of these beds will have a devastating impact on our community and on children. How will the Minister of State address the recruitment and the problem around retention of psychiatric nurses?

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