Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

2393. To ask the Minister for Health if she believes that it would be important to routinely collect data on the job vacancies within CAMHS to ensure the effective delivery of services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20632/25]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The data referred to by the Deputy is already collated as a matter of routine by the HSE and by the Department of Health.

The Mental Health Unit in the Department holds monthly performance management meetings with their counterparts in HSE National Mental Health Services to review various key performance indicators across mental health services, including staffing levels within the specialist CAMHS service.

In addition to the above, and arising from a meeting I had in early March last with the HSE CEO Bernard Gloster, I recently commenced a series of visits to all HSE Regional Health Areas to meet with the Regional Executive Officers and their staff to focus on improvements to all aspects of Youth Mental Health care. This includes CAMHS waiting lists and associated plans to reduce waiting times for accessing services. As part of these site visits, I receive further detailed information on the clinical and other staffing levels for each region, including staff vacancies relating to each individual CAMHS team.

At these meetings, I have and will continue to impress upon the Regional Executive Officers and the Integrated Health Area Managers, the importance of filling vacancies within CAMHS teams as soon as possible to ensure the effective delivery of services. To date, I have visited two of the six new HSE Health Regions - HSE South West and HSE Dublin and North East. Further visits are planned over the coming weeks.

A key objective of the recently published HSE Child and Youth Mental Health Action Plan, which is available on the HSE website, is the delivery of a comprehensive recruitment and retention approach for child and youth mental health services. The HSE will achieve this by supporting research designed to examine the current mental health needs of the population and the development of modelling tools. The latter will help to identify staffing needs based on local population and associated deprivation levels. This will include future projections to help inform improved workforce planning.

The Child and Youth Mental Health Office in the HSE will also support the new Health Regions in their workforce planning efforts, including the recruitment of clinical and administrative roles within CAMHS. The National Office will also work with HSE National HR to agree specific recruitment, retention and succession planning needs for Child and Youth Mental Health services on the back of identified workforce needs and/or gaps.

This approach will ensure investment in, and the development of, robust retention and focused recruitment strategies.

The Deputy can rest assured that I will continue to liaise closely with the HSE to undertake improvement across our mental health services, including CAMHS, in line with the HSE Service Plan 2025.