“Early intervention and support is essential if we are to give your young people the best possible start in life” – Nash
The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) facility in Drogheda is chronically understaffed, according to local Labour TD, Ged Nash.
Figures supplied to Deputy Nash by the HSE on foot of a Parliamentary Question tabled by the Labour TD to the Minister for Health, show that several posts remain unfilled in the service.
The Drogheda CAMHS facility currently has no senior psychologist, no senior occupational therapist and crucially, no speech and language therapist.
The HSE figures also show that in South Louth, there are 16 children waiting for their first appointment in CAMHS while for the East Meath and South Louth area, there are 59 and a further 22 waiting for their first appointment in Dundalk.
Deputy Nash said: “Recently we found out that our health service region had the second longest waiting list for CAMHS in the country and now we know why.
“The figures on the staffing level of CAMHS in Drogheda revealed to me by the HSE are particularly shocking.
“The facility in Drogheda has fewer than eight staff, currently and three key positions remain unfilled, leading to longer and longer waiting lists for vital services for our young children and teenagers.”
The Louth TD said: “These figures come in the wake of the recent damning report from the Mental Health Commission on the failures of the CAMHS system.
“Most mental health problems begin when people are young. That’s why early intervention and support is essential if we are to give your young people the best possible start in life.
“To learn the depth and breadth of these failings in the CAMHS service is deeply worrying and the state of our own local CAMHS service leaves a lot to be desired, despite the best efforts of the staff on the ground.”
He added: “It is clear there has been a failure by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to adequately resource our mental health system and early intervention services and we are seeing the results of that failure to invest, reflected in our own local CAMHS facility in Drogheda.
“There has been no ambition to recruit adequate specialists and move towards a system rooted in community care.”
Calling on the Minister for Health to act now to urgently address the issue, Deputy Nash said: “We know that over 90% of mental health needs can be successfully treated within a primary care setting, with less than 10% being referred to specialist community-based mental health teams.
“Assessment, prevention and early intervention are critical to alleviating health issues and taking pressure off stretched CAMHS services.”
“The Government cannot afford to sit on its hands any longer. There must be a sense of urgency now around the reform of our CAMHS system and our local facility in Drogheda must see the recruitment of the staff it needs to properly deliver the support and treatment our young people need.”
