Laois TD, Brian Stanley has called on Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly to prioritise investment in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
The Sinn Féin Deputy says the investment is needed to reduce extreme wait times for urgently needed mental health services in Laois/Offaly.
“New data released by Parliamentary Questions to Sinn Féin shows that waiting lists for CAMHS are up by 88% since January 2020,” Deputy Stanley said.
“Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are desperately underfunded. There are huge vacancies across existing CAMHS services in Laois/Offaly, and we do not have enough teams across the State.
The most recent HSE figures show that waiting lists for CAMHS have risen to 605 in Laois/Offaly’s health area. This is the third highest figure across the Country.
“The real scandal,” Deputy Stanley said. “Is that 77 children in this community healthcare area are waiting longer than a year for their first appointment and 113 are waiting longer than six months.
“We do not have enough psychiatrists, psychologists, or specialists in mental health and disability. This is leading to children who need help being turned away from services.
Deputy Stanley has called for the Minister to produce a plan for capacity expansion and workforce planning, including expanding training courses, stepping up recruitment, and improving staff retention levels.
SEE ALSO – Laois councillors call on Minister to increase funding for the National Ambulance service
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