Mental health and GP services
Deputies Crowe, Neville and Cahill raised shortages and access problems in local mental health and GP out-of-hours services, especially in Sligo and Tipperary. The Tánaiste said he would seek replies from the HSE and could not give detailed project updates himself.
I wish to raise the issue of mental health services in Sligo, particularly at Saint Columba's hospital, in the context of the programme for Government and the commitment to ensure there are proper mental health services in place. The out-of-hours service is a genuine problem. Let me give the example of a young man who has a long history with the service. He self-harms but when he arrives at the service out of hours, there is no registrar and nobody there to see him. There is a junior registrar on call but that person is also working in the main hospital and is seeing patients there. A backup service is supposed to be in place but the young man sits and waits for four to five hours without any service and then has to go. This has happened on numerous occasions because of the current circumstances at St. Columba's. I want the Government to commit to proper staffing. A new mental health service is being built on the grounds of the Sligo University Hospital but we need proper staffing. There are not enough staff at present to address the very serious issues people are dealing with.
Comment on this
On mental health, I welcome the announcement of Jigsaw services in counties Tipperary and Wicklow. What is the latest update on referral pathways and the 24-7 access that is to occur this year in respect of mental health services?
Comment on this
I have many figures in front of me on increased capacity nationally in mental health services, including youth mental health services. I have the numbers of new assistant psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and so on but both Deputies are looking for more detailed information on individual projects. Therefore, I will have to come back to them on that.
Comment on this
I wish to raise the issue of the out-of-hours service for general practitioners in Tipperary. Caredoc, which covers the whole of the south of Tipperary, has only one general practitioner on duty between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. In north Tipperary, which is covered by Shannondoc, there is only one general practitioner on duty between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Will the HSE consider increasing the resources for the service, particularly as having one doctor in the north of the county and one in the south is not nearly adequate to cover calls?