CAMHS staffing concerns
Deputy Lowry raises a report saying CAMHS in CHO 3 is unsafe because of staffing shortages and lack of consultant cover. The Taoiseach acknowledges recruitment problems and says the Minister for Health will write with details of actions being taken.
In an alarming report, we learned that staff working for child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 3, which includes County Tipperary, stated they believed the service was unsafe due to lack of staff and consultant cover. In a lengthy report, issues were identified with staffing capacity of the CAMHS team to provide a safe service to vulnerable children. The report contained instances where children were left without renewal of prescriptions until a consultant psychiatrist returned to duty. A case was highlighted where two children waited for four and six days, respectively, in UHL's emergency department before being assessed. Separately, an internal review by CAMHS identified 140 children across the CHO region who were not receiving follow-up appointments. It also found that the CAMHS service was staffed at less than two thirds of the national recommendations. Staffing is the kernel of this issue. Could the Taoiseach tell me, or follow up to see what steps can be taken to upskill mental health staff to include training in intellectual disabilities?
Comment on this
We have a real difficulty finding staff for our CAMHS service in large parts of the country. It varies from one CHO to another. It seems that where there are good promotional and career progression opportunities, it is easier to find staff. That is the case in one CHO. I would not be doing the Deputy's question justice if I were to merely rattle off an answer now and, therefore, I will ask the Minister for Health to write to him and set out in detail the actions that are being taken.