Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Mental Health Commission report is yet another indictment of the state of medical services, particularly mental health services in the mid-west region. Our major hospital is in a perpetual state of crisis and our mental health services are not functioning as they should. Last week, in Limerick, thousands of people marched in protest at the conditions in University Hospital Limerick. We now see those young people who are suffering mental health challenges are not receiving the supervised treatment they need.

The Mental Health Commission report outlines familiar failings, such as the lack of staffing and capacity. Mental Health Reform notes there were more than 700 mental health staff vacancies. The author outlined five areas of particular concern, including a lack of staff and a high staff turnover; lack of capacity to provide needs-based therapeutic programmes; poor monitoring of medication; lack of clinical governance; and long waiting lists that are impacting on the safety and well-being of children. Mental health is as important as physical health. To see such concerns raised about the treatment of children and adolescents must be treated as a major concern, both by the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and the Minister.

I received a call from a HSE staff member the other night, who was upset about the terminology used in the report. This person did not express any upset about what happened. They were upset that the phrase "lost children" was used. In my constituency of Limerick, I understand 140 children are defined as being lost in the system, although the HSE was more concerned about the use of the term "lost children" than sorting out those children's situation. I urge the Minister to ensure that those children are found. They are not lost but each of them is somebody's child. Some of them were on medication and not having a follow-up for two years is outrageous. It is inexcusable that some children on anti-psychotic medication were not properly monitored.

Whatever way the Minister or the HSE frames it, this report is damning. It is a damning indictment of our mental health services, a damning insight into how we treat children at risk of mental health challenges, and damning evidence that the Government does not treat mental health issues with the urgency they need. The report's author, Dr. Susan Finnerty, put it aptly when she said the commission decided to issue an interim report because of the serious concerns about, and consequent risks for, some patients that were found across CAMHS areas 4 and 5.

My time is running out so I will try to get in as much as I can. In January 2023, 138 people in one CHO area were waiting more than a year. That is young children waiting more than a year for treatment out of a total of 423-----

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