700 children in Cork and Kerry are awaiting mental health appointments
MORE than 700 children with mental health difficulties are on a waiting list for specialist mental health treatment services in the Cork and Kerry region, including 200 who are waiting more than a year, Sinn Féin Deputy Pat Buckley told the Dáil.
Delays in accessing Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) worsened recently in Cork North Lee, he said, which closed to new referrals last month following the departure of a consultant psychiatrist.
“The HSE said referral rates among under 18s in the Cork-Kerry area have risen by 26 per cent since 2011, including a 10% increase between January and June this year versus the same period in 2017,” he said. “As of March this year, 2,691 children and young adults were waiting for the HSE to provide them with an appointment.
“The HSE mental health services disclosed that 1,369 were waiting for up to three months, 470 up to six months, 241 up to nine months, 225 up to 12 months, a staggering 178 up to 15 months and 80 up to and over 18 months.
“It goes on and on.”
We all know that CAMHS staffing is only at 56 per cent he said. “I do not mean to be disrespectful but we are probably going to get a lot of generic answers on this and we are well aware of it. Cork, Kerry, Wexford and Tipperary services are understaffed.”
In reply, Minister of State Catherine Byrne said one of the Government’s priorities is ensuring appropriate and accessible mental health services for children who need them. This was reflected by a Budget 2018 allocation of an additional €35 million for new developments, bringing total HSE mental health funding this year to more than €910 million.
“The HSE service plan 2018 commits to further development of CAMHS against a background where the population of children is expected to increase and where the demand for CAMHS has seen a significant increase in recent years,” she said.
“Approximately 18,800 referrals are expected for HSE CAMHS this year, with 14,300 being seen by this specialist service. Additional resources and facilities mean there are now 69 CAMHS teams and three paediatric liaison teams, supported by 68 operational CAMHS beds nationally, with further beds planned to come onstream in the near future.”
The Cork Kerry Community Healthcare organisation has approximately 168,000 young people under the age of 18, in line with the national average of 25 per cent of the population, she said. “A CAMHS enhancement project commenced in September 2017 given local and national concerns about the growing demand for CAMHS services in the area.”