Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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432. To ask the Minister for Health when he expects the practice of admitting children and young persons to adult mental health units to cease. [6624/19]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Despite increasing demands overall on CAMHS, irrespective of the source of referrals, individual cases professionally assessed as requiring urgent access to services receive priority. There has been significant progress on age appropriate admissions since 2008 when there were 247 such admissions to adult units. This declined to 84 admissions in 2018. The number of admissions each year does not necessarily equate to the actual number of children involved, as an individual may be admitted on more than one occasion.

There has to be some operational flexibility surrounding emergency placements in Adult Units, particularly where very short-term placements occur, and where full account is taken of all relevant factors such as the preferences of all those involved, or geographical factors relating to access or visiting. This may in practice be the best care option in at least some cases, bearing in mind all the circumstances. The HSE closely monitors on a weekly basis all child admissions to adult units, with a view to minimising these. It also facilitates insofar as possible transition from CAMHS to Adult services.

Work is underway by the HSE to review existing levels of service provision generally, and to examine international models of best practice on the most appropriate models of delivery for use in the Irish context in order to enhance access to mental health care, including CAMHS. My objective, and that of the HSE, is to further improve all aspects of mental health care nationally for those under age 18, including those relating to access and age appropriate care settings.