Fianna Fáil TD Niamh Smyth says she is deeply concerned that Cavan and Monaghan have no access to an out of hours Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) team.Deputy Smyth said, “It’s clear that our mental health services have been struggling in recent years due to a lack of investment and increasing demand. No on-call service is available in counties Cavan, Monaghan, Sligo, Leitrim, Kerry, Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Meath, Longford, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly, Louth and Wexford. This is shocking and clearly demonstrates the patchy nature of our mental health services. Questions have also been raised over the availability of on-call services in Donegal, Waterford and Clare. This represents vast swathes of the country which are left without an effective out-of-hours service.”
“There has been increased demand for these services in recent years. Despite this the Government has continued to under-fund our mental health services. This attitude needs to change, particularly when you consider the demographic changes that Ireland faces in the years ahead. It is vital that the availability of out-of-hours mental health services for children is spread evenly across the country. Every child should be treated the same and awarded the same services. I am highly concerned that this out of hour’s services isn’t available to children in Cavan and Monaghan. I have raised this with the Minister.”
“The Mental Health Commission has already highlighted that under-investment in services for children is one of the factors contributing to the continuing high number of admissions of children to adult psychiatric units. This practice is one which must come to an end. The delivery of 24-hour emergency services for children is fundamental in helping to achieve this.
Deputy Smyth concluded, “This is an unacceptable situation that our children and their families find themselves in. Help and support needs to be readily available. I have called on the Minister for Health Simon Harris by way of a Parliamentary Question submitted today and I am urging him to look into the provision of these services in my own Constituency of Cavan and Monaghan.”
