Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I raise the crisis facing child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in County Clare, particularly the poor accommodation in which those services find themselves operating. The issue has historical value in the sense that only in 2019 they were operating out of hotel rooms, which is completely inappropriate. I make the point as it shows a pattern of years of poor decisions and an unwillingness to prioritise mental health services for our youth and our future.

CAMHS in Clare are split between two teams, one for east Clare and one for west Clare. One might assume east Clare appointments would be taken somewhere like Scarriff and west Clare appointments would be taken somewhere like Kilrush. As the Minister of State well knows, that is not the case. The service has not even been planned sufficiently to ensure the safety of staff members or service users. Our youth in those areas face the added challenges of isolation, deprivation and the associated difficulties. The Government said that after Covid we would build back better but these individuals, our most vulnerable, are being left behind.

All CAMHS appointments in County Clare take place in the same unit in the Quin Road business park in Ennis, which is obviously neither east nor west Clare. They have clinic room space equating to 4.5 rooms and one is block-booked for emergencies from 2 p.m. every day. The situation on the ground is that 22 staff simply cannot work out of 4.5 rooms. As for office space, I was told you would be better off working in the car. Some staff are working on the end of tables and some have been without a computer device for several weeks. They have issues with Internet connection and storage for files. It has been said to me the staff are distressed, the building is distressed and, therefore, the service user is distressed.

A recent survey document explained that Limerick CAMHS have more than twice as many rooms available for referrals as Clare, even when the greater demands posed by Limerick’s larger population are taken into consideration. I have spoken to staff members who described the practicalities and impact of this: searching for empty rooms, moving the client mid-session to find a space, and calling primary care centres only to be told that the space needs to be booked two weeks in advance, as is the case in Ennis. They described the uphill battle they face on a daily basis when they are just trying to do their jobs.

Why is there such a constraint on space? Incredibly, they must share their building with environmental health, which is in no way connected. If they had the entire building, there would not be an issue with space. Why has that not been explored and delivered? Surely if management was actively listening since the issues were raised as far back as 2017, which is six years ago, resolution would be in sight. However, that is not the case. Instead, it seems there is a level of arrogance and ignorance within the community healthcare management team. That has to be said. They have created and maintained this unsatisfactory situation. Now intervention at senior Government level, such as from the Minister of State, is needed at an existential level for the continuation of CAMHS in Clare and nothing less.

The Government has a surplus of €11 billion projected for next year. I have constituents who are locked in their bedrooms, unable to eat, unable to sleep and refusing to go to school. In some cases, they are a danger to themselves or others. As a parent, that is the worst nightmare. To know your child is suffering with their mental health leaves a massive element of fear. For the sake of my young constituents and their families, will the Minister of State commit to ensuring the use of the entire building as a starting point or source another building that is large enough and appropriate? Can we use the proposed site in Parteen for the east Clare team and work together to relocate west Clare CAMHS in west Clare and provide a more comprehensive wraparound support for children and young people in the county? In the general election of 2020, I called for 24-7 mental health support in the community. That was a vision whereby all staff and service users would be supported.

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