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

It looks as though we will have a good deal of agreement on support for this legislation. We have spoken about the need for amendments but there has been some failure. As an example, yesterday I visited Clan na Gael's GAA club near Cox's Demesne in Dundalk, where there was a group called Maxi's Law, which is named after the unfortunate death by suicide of Mark “Maxi” Kavanagh, who was very well known in Dundalk. The group raised the issue of mental health services. People spoke about the need for equality of access and highlighted examples where, because they had cover with VHI or another provider, they were able to access St. John of God's, for example, or other services, which were not necessarily available to others, and the obstacles as regards due diagnosis and so on.

I have spoken previously about the fact we do not have adequate staffing in Louth-Meath mental health services. Crosslanes is due a ten-bed extension, which, along with resources, is absolutely required. We do not have a decent means of assessment for those resources, which needs to be sorted for both Crosslanes and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. There is obviously an issue with respect to emergency departments at the moment, which is why many of us attended the protest last Thursday. I have previously raised the issue relating to CAMHS in north Louth and anybody who has been listening to me over the past two weeks will have heard me relay the message stating that CAMHS in north Louth is experiencing a crisis in administration because the number of its administrators has been cut. There is only one person working, for three days a week, and calls are answered only between 10 a.m. and 12 noon on Mondays and Fridays. The message goes on to say clinicians will try to continue with their appointments and will answer the door for appointments, but that is all. While they are trying to do that, they believe that certain functions will be compromised. We have a huge issue and it needs to be addressed. I could go on.

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