Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As has been said by a number of my colleagues, we welcome that this legislation is going through the Houses. We have, however, particular issues. We all know there are deficiencies, whether we are talking about the community or residential settings. We all accept that there is a need for regulation of CAMHS. The big worry is the timeline for this. My colleagues have outlined our proposals and the specific issues about which we have concerns.

It is worth mentioning the Garda no longer being gatekeepers of mental health. We all know the issues that created for gardaí and the imperfect circumstances. We need to ensure there is a sufficient number of authorised officers capable of making the necessary decisions. We have all dealt with bad situations involving people who are a danger to themselves or others. Occasionally, it takes a number of attempts and a huge amount of resources from the Garda, doctors and others to get some sort of mental health intervention. There is a need to look at this entire area. I understand we are moving away from the horrible situation in years gone by when there was an insufficient human rights ethos but it is about getting that balance right. It is not always straightforward.

We are all aware of the work done by supported and unsupported services. In Dundalk, there is the new Pieta House service in the Redeemer Family Resource Centre. I spoke to its representatives in the past week about funding. The situation is very sad. The service needs a roadmap. It provides a huge amount of support and services for those going through mental health anguish. I will raise that issue with the Minister of State. Deputy Ward and I visited Dundalk Counselling Centre. A spectacular amount of work has been done. I have funnelled certain issues through. It is all about sustainable funding and being able to deliver the service.

I have inquired about an issue with the HSE and have not received an answer. I hope the Minister of State can bridge that gap. Concerning the Drogheda Department of Psychiatry in Crosslanes, planning permission was submitted over six months ago for a ten-bed extension at the Drogheda site but there is no news about commencement. Counties Louth and Meath have poor bed provision compared with the rest of the State. I think the ratio is 12.9 beds per 100,000 whereas the State average is greater, although I accept that needs to be increased. I was told at one stage before the moratorium was lifted that there were around 40 nursing and mental health service vacancies. Following the lifting of the moratorium, this number became 13. I was told that positions left by nurses acting up no longer exist. I did not just get this information in the bar. Will the Minister of State follow up on the issue? In relation to Crosslanes, the Mental Health Commission stated that at times there was insufficient staffing. It is an issue. While we want the extension, we need to make sure there is a sufficient number of staff to provide a safe service in Crosslanes and the entirety of Louth and Meath. I think there were 49 occasions - day shifts and three night shifts - since January 2023 when the approved centre's nursing staff was below the required staff ratio. This presents a worry. I was told that at one stage there were 40 positions that were not filled. That was for nurses. If we were to extend that to other disciplines, there would be a greater level of unfilled posts. Will the Minister of State provide detail on that issue?

An issue I previously brought up with the Minister of State is that there is no 24-hour psychiatry service at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. At night, this sometimes leads to chaotic circumstances in which people go to the Drogheda department of psychiatry in Crosslanes when the assessment should happen away from there. It goes from a doctor, to our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, to the accident and emergency department. We do not have the conversations that are needed or the service that needs to be provided across the board. As we face into budget season, it would be good if could deal with some of these issues.

See this speech in context