Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. The development of a high-quality mid-west CAMHS has been a key priority and focus for mid-west community healthcare in recent years. I cannot agree when the Deputy says CAMHS are in crisis. There might be issues with location, premises and space but there are 21,000 children in the support of CAMHS as I speak. There were 225,000 appointments last year for young people and adolescents in the care of CAMHS. Language is important here. I will address the location, premises and space, but I will not call into question the service offered by multidisciplinary teams the length and breadth of the country.

This has led to improvements for CAMHS, including increased capacity in the mid-west. The additional investment in CAMHS mid-west over the last three years is around €2.5 million. These developments have had a positive impact on all CAMHS teams, including the two in County Clare, both of which have seen an increase in staffing levels. However, those increased staffing levels, as the Deputy rightly said, have placed additional pressure on already limited accommodation space.

The east Clare and west Clare CAMHS teams work out of a premises on the Quin Road in Ennis. HSE mid-west community healthcare has experienced significant challenges in securing additional office and clinical space in the town. With the introduction of the new primary care centre in Ennis and the relocation of services into this facility, mental health services are exploring the additional opportunities for suitable clinical and office space this might create. Mid-west community healthcare is advancing a capital plan for east Clare CAMHS in Inis Gile, Parteen, to facilitate clinics there which would be suitable for service users from that side of the county. This will help to alleviate pressure on space in Quin Road. It is anticipated that this facility will be available for use in the near future.

HSE estates continues to explore all opportunities to acquire additional office and clinical space in the Ennis area. CAMHS in Clare also access bookable rooms in the Kilrush health centre. Options are being explored for outreach in west Clare. There is regular engagement with the Clare CAMHS accommodation committee to explore reconfiguration of existing space to better support the work of the team.

Since 2020, HSE mid-west has undertaken significant actions to support the Clare CAMHS team. These include an upgrade of social worker posts, an upgrade of a psychology post to a senior post and extra administration support for the team. An assistant director of nursing, a principal psychologist and a business manager, along with health and safety representatives and a service manager, have mapped current and future accommodation needs. Additional medical governance has been provided as a response to a consultant vacancy and efforts are ongoing to recruit a full-time CAMHS consultant. There has been massive investment into the region in relation to the clinical supports necessary.

HSE mid-west community healthcare is committed to listening to and engaging with all staff and to further enhancement of all CAMHS services, including improvement for both staff and service users. Mental health services actively engage with line managers in respect of retention of staff, while acknowledging that various factors lead to vacancies, including retirement, promotional opportunities or family commitments. Mid-west CAMHS are currently engaging with an external facilitator to develop a CAMHS service improvement plan. This process is well advanced. All CAMHS staff are represented in this process and successful workshops are taking place.

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