No on-call mental health services for county’s children
WEXFORD is one of 15 counties which has no on-call mental health service available to children.
New figures show that children and adolescents in severe mental health distress have no access to an out of hours Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
According to figures received by Deputy James Browne in a parliamentary reply from the HSE there is no on-call service available to vulnerable young people in counties Wexford, Cavan, Monaghan, Sligo, Leitrim, Kerry, Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Meath, Longford, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly and Louth, according to information obtained in a parliamentary reply by Fianna Fáil spokesman on mental health James Browne.
Davy Hynes of It’s Good 2 Talk counselling services said it is a ‘disgrace’ that Wexford is without a specialised CAMHS service.
‘ This is something that needs to be addressed urgently. We have a lot of issues here in Wexford regarding suicide and our mental services are totally inadequate for the level of demand.
‘We have been calling for a 24/7 acute mental health unit for a long time. The lack of an on-call CAMHS team is just another example of the way in which Wexford is being left behind. We need to call on the Government to provide this not just for Wexford but for all the counties who don’t have it.
‘Young people are very vulnerable and mental health provision is a specialist area. It can’t be left to their local doctor to address it. Their problems have to be addressed in a certain way, a very professional and specialised way.
‘ This needs to be looked at urgently. There was a recent motion at the council calling for these services which was supported by everyone. The lack of vital services is an absolute disgrace and this is translating to the high number of suicides we are experiencing in Wexford for the past number of years. A 24/7 acute mental health service with a CAMHS on call service will go a long way to our addressing problems.’.
Deputy Browne, who is the Fianna Fail spokesperson on Mental Health said that the Government must move to adequately staff mental health services for children.
‘It’s clear that our mental health services have been struggling in recent years due to a lack of investment and increasing demand. New information which I have received sets out the enormous challenges facing our mental health services for children in particular,’ said Deputy Browne.
‘No on-call service is available in counties Wexford, Cavan, Monaghan, Sligo, Leitrim, Kerry, Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Meath, Longford, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly and Louth. ‘ This is shocking and clearly demonstrates the patchy nature of our mental health services. Questions have also been raised over the availability of on-call services in Donegal, Waterford and Clare. This represents vast swathes of the country which are left without an effective out-of-hours service.
‘ There has been increased demand for these services in recent years. Despite this the Government has continued to under-fund our mental health services. This attitude needs to change, particularly when you consider the demographic changes that Ireland faces in the years ahead. It is vital that the availability of out-of-hours mental health services for children is spread evenly across the country.
‘ The Mental Health Commission has already highlighted that under-investment in services for children is one of the factors contributing to the continuing high number of admissions of children to adult psychiatric units. This practice is one which must come to an end. The delivery of 24-hour emergency services for children is fundamental in helping to achieve this.’
Deputy Browne said that more recruitment needs to be carried out for CAMHS teams adding that the 2015 figures showed that they have just over half of the needed staff required under the policy, ‘A Vision for Change’.
‘We have to remember that in Ireland one in four of the population is under 18 years of age. It’s not good enough that the mental health services available to them continue to be under-resourced,’ said Deputy Browne.