Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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82. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department has been in touch with or has received any reports from the HSE with regard to the ongoing issue of children with mental health difficulties being treated in adult mental health facilities. [7042/17]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The reduction in the numbers of children admitted to adult psychiatric units has been a priority for the HSE Mental Health Services over recent years, and this important objective is reiterated in the 2017 HSE Service Plan.

Progress in this area has been significant since 2008 when there were 247 such admissions to adult units in that year. This declined to 68 in 2016, despite a background of increasing demands overall on Child and Adolescent Mental Health services. It is important to note, that the number of admissions does not necessarily equate to the actual number of children admitted, as an individual child may be admitted on more than one occasion in any given year. In 2016, there were a total of 380 Child and Adolescent Mental Health admissions, of which 312 (82%) were to age-appropriate units and 68 (18%) were to Adult Units. In terms of bed days used, in 2016, based on the most recent figures available, 97.4% of bed days used were in Child and Adolescent Inpatient Units. Performance generally continues to be above the HSE Service Plan target figure of 95%, and indications are that where a child has been admitted to an adult acute in-patient unit, the length of stay has been kept to a minimum.

The current HSE Service Plan allows for some operational flexibility surrounding emergency placements in Adult Units, particularly where very short-term placements take place. Full account is taken of all relevant factors such as the preferences of all those involved, and geographical factors relating to access or visiting. In this context, the HSE continues to closely monitor on a weekly basis all child admissions to adult units, with a view to minimising such admissions as much as possible.

I, and my Department officials, regularly meet with the HSE to review various mental health issues, including the potential for further improvement on age appropriate CAMHS admissions. In addition, relevant data is published as part of the monthly Performance Reports, available on the HSE website, and this is subject to regular monitoring by the Department of Health. I will continue to engage with the Executive over coming months, on possible additional Child and Adolescent Mental Health acute beds, and also further enhancing community based care for young people nationally, as additional mental health staffing comes on-stream. Bearing in mind all the circumstances, I am satisfied that, where children have to be placed short-term in adult mental health units, the Executive makes any special arrangements necessary, such as one-to-one care, to protect and monitor these young people. The Mental Health Commission is also notified of such admissions.