CHILDREN WAITING FOR PSYCHOLOGY SERVICES – BROWNE

More than 300 children in County Wexford are currently on a waiting list to avail of psychology services, an unacceptable situation which is causing undue stress to families, according to Wexford Fianna Fail TD James Browne

Deputy Browne has demanded answers from the Government over th growing waiting list - a total of 343 children are awaiting primary care psychology services including 50 children who are waiting between 18 and 24 months and four who have been on the list for up to three years.

Mr. Browne who is Fianna Fail’s Spokesperson on Mental Health, said the delay in accessing services is having a detrimental impact on the lives of hundreds of children and their families.

‘I raised this issue with the Minister for Health Simon Harris and was shocked to discover that 343 County Wexford children are currently stuck on a waiting list’, he said.

‘ This simply isn’t good enough when you consider that these children are at a formative stage of their lives. Any delay in securing the necessary intervention will have a lasting impact’.

The HSE has blamed the growing population in Wexford for putting pressure on child psychology services.

‘ This points to a systemic lack of planning on behalf of the Government in configuring our mental health services’, said Deputy Browne.

‘We have known for many years that the population in Wexford is increasing but the Government failed to put in place the necessary investment to keep up with the demand for psychology services’.

‘I intend to continue raising this issue with Minister Harris until it is satisfactorily resolved. We can’t have a situation where children are left waiting up to 3 years before receiving the psychological help that they need. The situation is extremely stressful for these children and their families. The Government needs to set out what it will do to tackle the waiting list’, he said.