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

I accept that, but we are getting mixed messages. For example, when Mr. Gloster said what he said at the health committee meeting, that was the first I had heard of it, although I had heard inklings on the grapevine. The Minister of State now indicated that the number of CAMHS teams might be reduced from 74 and that parents might be asked to drive a little further to get a full service but I got a response from the HSE yesterday stating there were no active plans to reduce the number of CAMHS teams nationally. Mixed messages are at play.

Are the HSE and the Department on the same page on this? Parents have a right to know exactly what is happening. If the hub-and-spoke model works, the Minister of State will get my full support on it. Parents want to see better mental health outcomes for children who have to attend CAMHS. I will touch on the increase in the number of referrals to CAMHS in my follow-up response. I know that has an impact on waiting times for CAMHS as well.

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