Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I know that, but "Tullamore-Westmeath" is what the HSE identified. That is what it calls the midlands. A crisis resolution team is funded at €1 million a year, recurring, for a multidisciplinary team to work out of hours. There is also the crisis café. I have opened many cafés around the country. The crisis cafés have reduced the presentations to emergency departments by between 17% and 18%, and 20% in some areas. I recently opened one in Sligo.

I want to speak in relation to where other parts of the funding are going. Additional funding of €30 million has gone into CAMHS over the last two years. A total of €30 million has gone in and the waiting list has gone up. At this time last year, the waiting list was at 3,700. When I came back after being elected, it was gone to 4,500. I have visited 21 teams in the past three months.

The waiting list today is 4,144. It was quoted as 4,500 during the debate. It was 4,500 and is now down to 4,144. The reason I prioritise those who have been waiting for longer than 12 months is that I do not want to see any waiting list where people are waiting for more than 12 months. I want waiting lists to be south of that. As a result, we have seen a 16.7% reduction since the end of July into August. That is the result of me going to meet doctors, clinicians and representatives of the HSE.

Deputy Bennett spoke about mental health. There are fewer than five people waiting for service in Cavan-Monaghan. It is one of the areas about which we are pleased. Deputy Quinlivan spoke about Limerick. CAMHS in Limerick has turned itself around completely. I acknowledge his support for the CAST project, which is important.

We have recruited 87 staff into CAMHS this year. Those are new staff. Not one inpatient child in CAMHS has travelled abroad since 2020. I must put that on the record of the Dáil because I must deal in facts. Some children may have travelled privately, outside the HSE, but no child in need of CAMHS support has left Ireland since 2020.

Many Members spoke about eating disorders. When I came into this post in 2020, three eating disorder teams were funded but only one was in place. We now have 11 teams in place and funding for 14. I have funded two more for next year, one adult team in the west of the country and one CAMHS team in the south east. I am not sure of the locations because the HSE, working with the Department, will determine those. I cannot specify. If I could, I would have everything in Waterford but I do not do that. I take a geographical perspective to see what we can do.

Some 100 clinicians are now working in eating disorder specialist teams all over the country. We also have eight consultant psychiatrists. I will be making an announcement soon about our plans to develop specialist eating disorder beds for adults, which will include a proper geographical spread. I will also be making an announcement soon about perinatal mental health and the mother-and-baby unit. We are working on a plan, which is commercially sensitive, under which there will be eating disorder beds for adults and a perinatal unit in Dublin. I cannot say anymore. There will be a geographical spread for the rest of those units.

The model of care proposed in 2018 included 16 teams. Those 16 teams have now been funded and I have already been told we need another, so we have gone to 17 teams. That will come in due course. It will certainly happen.

Other issues relating to the budget were raised. Some 5.6% of the overall health budget is allocated to mental health. However, I got 9% of the available staff next year, which is significant. Of the head count being provided through the HSE and the Department across all health services next year, I got 3,300 staff. That is 9% of the overall, and a head count that will do me. Once I have the staff, I must have the money to pay for them. That is important.

I want to touch on the clusters, which were spoken about. There is a community response to cluster suicides. We have the National Office for Suicide Prevention guidance for local response to suicide. All areas should have a HSE-led integrated group to monitor and respond to clusters. Where young people are involved, NEPS colleagues are involved and respond to children. We are also providing a response by way of bereavement support. It is important to note that we have those supports.

I will say one more thing before I finish. It is the most important thing I want to say today. Let us all get the message out. This is for any Member who has constituents coming to his or her office. At the moment, we cannot get men to avail of supports. If we only take away one thing from today's debate, it should be the site yourmentalhealth.ie/men. Tonight at 5 p.m., Connect Counselling is providing free counselling to people from their kitchen tables, sofas or bedrooms. It is for the farmer who has just come in from milking the cows if he is in trouble. MyMind is providing 5,000 hours of counselling between now and Christmas in 20 different languages to support those who come in on permits and might not speak English or Irish. I have worked with Exchange House Ireland. Supports are now available online for young Travellers. I have worked with the one organisation for retired veterans to provide counselling supports. These 15,000 counselling supports are there. We have worked with the Irish College of GPs. Some 1,200 GPs were on a call three or four weeks ago. They now know that they can support people. There is no waiting list for those counselling supports. There is dedicated money for those, additional to what is there.

On World Mental Health Day, which is tomorrow, it is important that we all talk about our mental health. I ask any men out there to look at yourmentalhealth.ie/men. I ask Members to ensure their office staff know about the site. They can signpost people to those supports, which are needed.

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