399. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Health if she will consider extending the upper age of eligibility for CAMHS from 18 to 21 years to ensure continuity of care during the transition to adult mental health services (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47224/26]

All aspects of mental health care, including the specialist CAMHS service, are being enhanced in line with implementation of our mental health policy Sharing the Vision 2020-2030, our new suicide reduction policy Connecting for Life 2026-2035 and the annual HSE Service plans.

Government has provided record funding of nearly €1.6 billion for mental health in 2026. CAMHS receives approximately €191 million annually, an increase of almost 40% over the past four years. A further €127 million is provided to NGOs, many of which focus on young people. Under Budget 2026, €10 million was provided to improve youth mental health services, including CAMHS.

As the Deputy will be aware, HSE mental health supports range from Prevention and Early Intervention to the specialist CAMHS service, which is for those under age 18 with moderate to high mental health difficulties. Access is based on clinical assessment, in line with the CAMHS Operational Guideline (the CAMHS COG is on the HSE website). For young people attending CAMHS, if they still need psychiatric support as they turn 18, they move to the Adult Mental Health Team in their area. This transition begins about six months before their 18th birthday. During this time, CAMHS shares detailed notes and information with the adult team so that care can continue smoothly.

If a patient is doing well and no longer shows moderate to severe symptoms, they are discharged back to their General Practitioner. If they later need mental health support again, their General Practitioner can refer them to the Adult Mental Health Team.

By way of background context, a Youth Mental Health Transitions Specialist Group was established by the HSE in September 2021 at the request of Sharing the Vision National Implementation and Monitoring Committee to progress Recommendation 36 of Sharing the Vision. This recommendation states: “Appropriate supports should be provided for on an interim basis to service users transitioning from CAMHS to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS). The age of transition should be moved from 18 to 25, and future supports should reflect this.”

The specialist group focused its work into two separate, but interrelated workstreams: Development of an enhanced Transitions Plan to support individuals moving from CAMHS to AMHS at 18 years and the development of a Reconfiguration Plan, including prioritised and phased recommended actions, in order to plan for the provision of age appropriate specialist mental health services up to age 25. Quantitative and qualitative data and narratives from young people who have accessed CAMHS and made the transition to AMHS was an invaluable source of information to assist with developing the recommendations.

Surveys and Focus groups were undertaken with young people drawn from a pool of respondents as part of the work of the Group, to enable a deeper understanding of how respondents felt and how they perceived the transition experience. Many felt they were battling to access the service in CAMHS and that they then faced a second battle when they went to AMHS. The lack of perceived linkage between the two services served to reinforce this perception. The stated difficulties were retelling their story, dealing with a new team and new location. The outputs of the Specialist Group have been considered and incorporated into the HSE Child and Youth Mental Health Action Plan 2025-2027, which is now being implemented.

It is acknowledged that those who transition from CAMHS to AMHS are a particularly vulnerable group in terms of their age and a risk of disrupted care. The transition to adulthood is an extremely challenging period of life in which young people are maturing physically, personally, mentally and socially. Irish research also suggests that despite having ongoing mental health needs, many young people are not being referred, or are refusing referral, to adult services.

The Enhanced Transition Plan highlights several key considerations for the HSE Child and Youth Mental Health Office (CYMHO) which has key responsibility for implementation of relevant recommendations. The Enhanced Transition Plan sets out three overarching principles and three recommendations to improve transition from CAMHS to AMHS, with detailed implementation goals and actions underpinning these, with progression over this year and 2027. The Enhanced Transition Plan and the CYMHO Action Plan 2025-2027 are available online.

In light of the above, and the many other initiatives being progressed to improve more integrated mental health care overall including transition from CAMHS to AMHS, there are no plans to undertake the specific approach suggested by the Deputy. Examples of other key initiatives to improve access to CAMHS and to reduce waiting lists include a new Single Point of Access for youth mental health care and greater use of electronic health records.

I will continue to work closely with the HSE to ensure that all aspects of youth mental health care are improved over this year and beyond.