Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The CAMHS issue is an issue across the country. The Minister of State mentioned that it is one of her priorities. I will provide a second example in respect of CAMHS. A family's GP sent a letter to CAMHS to refer a child who needed to get into CAMHS. They received correspondence stating that there was no clinical lead for the CAMHS post in CHO 1, which covers Leitrim, east Sligo and west Cavan. The GP received a letter back saying that the child could not get a place in CAMHS and could not even be put on the waiting list to go into CAMHS. This is the situation across the country, but it is particularly acute in the Sligo-Leitrim region. There is no CAMHS service for any child. The principal in the local school in Ballinamore wrote to me regarding this. They had a child who also needed a referral but was informed that there is no access for the child to go to CAMHS. The letter, which came back to the family, said that if the child's mental health situation deteriorated, they had to go to the accident and emergency services. That is totally inappropriate. The Minister of State has said that this is her priority, but nobody sees that priority on the ground.

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