New figures provided to Fianna Fáil Mental Health Spokesperson James Browne TD show that there were 7,106 children waiting for a primary care psychology appointment at the end of May this year. More than 1,800 of these children have been on the list for over a year.
Deputy Browne said, “These figures clearly outline the continuing crisis in the provision of mental health services for children in this country. The fact that more than 7,000 children are waiting for an appointment is shocking, however to have over a quarter of them on a waiting list for more than a year is scandalous.
“Early intervention is so important when dealing with vulnerable children and teenagers. The State and the HSE have a duty to do better by these children.
“These figures reveal significant regional variations, with Cork the worst affected. It has some 480 children waiting over a year – it also has the worst waiting times for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health service.
“Long waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health services stem from the fact that the CAMHS service has barely over half the staff required. Unfortunately, CAMHS is not the only mental health service suffering due to problems with recruitment – waiting lists and bed shortages are common throughout the service.
“Renewed efforts need to be made to address these waiting lists. Such deficiencies in mental health services for children cannot be allowed to continue”, concluded Deputy Browne.
