CAMHS waiting lists
Deputy Jennifer Whitmore raised long CAMHS waiting lists and severe distress among children and parents. The Minister of State said she had met campaigners, noted sharply increased referrals and activity, and said substantial work was being done despite pressures.
Approximately 4,500 children are waiting for their first appointment with child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, including hundreds in my constituency of Wicklow. Thousands of children are struggling every day with anxiety and with going to school. They are self-harming, have suicidal ideation and are struggling with eating disorders. Thousands of parents have to sit and watch their children go through this. We heard this morning from Families for Reform of CAMHS and it is clear that the CAMHS system is not working. It is not just me or these parents saying this; the head of the Mental Health Commission said the same at an Oireachtas committee recently. The CAMHS report has 49 recommendations. What progress has been made with that? Will the Government task the Mental Health Commission with the role of independently monitoring the implementation of these recommendations?
Comment on this
I thank Deputy Whitmore for her question. I met that same group yesterday and we had a really good collaboration. I also met with AsIAm representatives yesterday in relation to the challenges for children with a dual diagnosis of mental ill health and autism, which is becoming more prevalent. It is important to note that over the last couple of years there has been a 33% increase in referrals into CAMHS and the teams have dealt with 21% more young people. Last year alone, 225,000 appointments were issued through CAMHS. A huge amount of really good work is being done on the ground but unfortunately, CAMHS teams have taken a huge amount of criticism over the past year and a half. My job at the moment is to build confidence in the CAMHS teams. As Deputy Whitmore knows, we have made two significant changes. We now have a new clinical lead for CAMHS, Dr. Amanda Burke, and we also have, for the first time in the history of the State, a youth mental health office within the HSE. We are looking at all of the recommendations and many of them are in train. I will continue to work with the Mental Health Commission and all of the different stakeholders. We all want to reduce the waiting lists for these young people
Comment on this
It was a straight question and it would be good to get a straight answer.