Joan Freeman (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would love to see that level of debate about mental health services, not comments in the Chamber. It is a pity because I receive text messages on a daily basis, not just from parents whose children are trying to avail of mental health services in County Wexford but also from staff in HSE South. I will quote from a text message sent to me yesterday by a very distressed mother. She said:

What's happening? What's the story in Wexford? There is still no consultant, no registrar, no clinical nurse manager, who's out sick at the moment, no medical appointments for children with mental illness. They are in dire need. There's no one to write prescriptions for controlled drugs for children, no service after five o'clock when there is a clinical manager there. Instead children are sent to the Department of Psychiatry in Waterford in a single room with no occupational therapy, just medication offered. They're locked in a room.

By the way, this area in University Hospital Waterford is called the dungeon. Every now and then, a consultant is brought from Galway and paid €3,000 per day to see children on the weekends he is available. I do not know anymore where we are. Two and a half years ago staff in Slaney House were promised that they would be moved to better accommodation, but they still have not been moved. In October 2017 they were promised that premises would be available to them.They are still in the old premises. At this point I do not know what to do. I was Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care. I was promised the committee would continue, which would allow members of the committee to oversee, supervise and scrutinise the HSE. Now that committee is gone, so there is nobody doing it. I again call on the Government to reinstate the committee and to please do something within the next week about Slaney House. I acknowledge that Mr. Paul Reid was down there the other day. Wexford will come to its knees. A massive problem or tragedy will happen and then the Government will act. It should act now. I will be on this case daily until Christmas until something happens.