Politicians welcome CAMHS position

SINN Féin TD Martin Kenny, has welcomed the appointment of a part- time consultant psychiatrist to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Sligo.

Deputy Kenny said:“I have listened to the stories of the parents and friends of children and young people in dire need of psychiatric treatment who are on waiting lists for years, so this appointment must be welcomed.

“However, the waiting lists are at catastrophic levels and this is only a part- time post.

“The HSE has had difficulty in holding onto professionals in these circumstances, where they take up a post only to discover the crisis situation that exists.

“There is recognition from the HSE that what is needed is two full- time psychiatrists along with this part- time position.

“In this instance, I believe, that not only this post, but two full- time consultant psychiatrists are needed to clear the backlog and get what is a dysfunctional service up and running again so that it can meet the needs of the people of the region.

Fine Gael TD Tony McLoughlin has also welcomed the move to appoint the part time psychiatrist.

He said the appointment of a new consultant psychiatrist to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in the North West will reduce waiting times.

“This is a very welcome development for the region given the current long delays in accessing the service and it will hopefully go some way to reducing the waiting times for families needing to use the CAMHS in this region.

“Over the last number of months I have asked Health Minister Simon Harris in the Dáil to ensure that the HSE was prioritising hiring a consultant for the service, and I also requested that he would continue to inquire into levels of care provided in the service in this region.

“Just a fortnight ago Taoiseach Enda Kenny came to Sligo and I asked him to meet with Sharon Boles of the Sligo Childcare Committee, where it was highlighted to him that increased youth mental health services were needed for the region.

“Last week in the Dáil I said to the Taoiseach again that improved resources were needed for our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in the region to reduce long waiting lists, and I called for the appointment of a consultant psychiatrist as a matter of urgency.

“After working on this issue in the background for quite some time, I am very pleased to hear today that a consultant has now been appointed and that children in Sligo and Leitrim can expect greater access to this service.”