Irish teens rank in bottom half in developed world for wellbeing
Irish teenagers are in the bottom half for wellbeing in high-income countries despite leading in academic performance, the latest report by
Unicef
has found.
The report – Report Card 19: Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable world – compares the wellbeing of children across 43 countries in the EU and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Of these, Ireland ranks 24th for adolescent wellbeing, placing it in the bottom half globally.
Drawing on official data and offering analysis, the study also reveals Ireland's youth suicide rate to be above the international average, standing at 6.4 per 100,000.
'These findings are stark,' said Peter Power, executive director of Unicef Ireland.
READ MORE
'Ireland's teens are succeeding in school, but struggling in life. We must match our investment in academic achievement with the same urgency for mental and emotional wellbeing,' he added.
Nearly one in three 15-year-olds in Ireland reported low life satisfaction, while analysis from 2018 to 2022 indicates declining life satisfaction in adolescents across 22 of 26 countries with available data.
Unicef pointed to the role of school closures and widespread social isolation during this period due to the Covid-19 pandemic in disconnecting adolescents from critical support systems.
'The pandemic has deepened existing inequalities, setting a troubling precedent for children's wellbeing – particularly among those from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds,' said Aibhlin O'Leary, head of advocacy at Unicef Ireland.
'To respond meaningfully, we need a unified, child-centred strategy that tackles these disparities head-on and supports every child, at every stage of their development.'
Also highlighting physical health risks, the report found that more than one in four children and adolescents in Ireland are overweight or obese.
Unicef Ireland has called on the Government to take targeted actions to protect child wellbeing, including increasing investment in school mental health services and reducing waiting times for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), improving school meals and strengthening digital resilience within the Junior Cycle curriculum.
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Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Frustration in Government over continual revelations from CHI
For weeks the Government had been bracing for more trouble at Children's Health Ireland (CHI), the embattled group that runs paediatric hospital services in Dublin . There has been frustration over waiting times for children who need orthopaedic surgery and a scandal over the implantation of unauthorised springs into three children. By mid-May another significant controversy was brewing; a review indicated that up to 60 per cent of a type of hip operations carried out at Temple Street Hospital were not necessary. However, just days after the hip report, real trouble came out of left field, with questions raised over the use of special waiting list clinics. The Sunday Times highlighted an internal CHI report that alleged potential irregularities in the State's initiative to tackle waiting lists. The Department of Health has said it had never seen or heard of the unpublished report, which dates back to 2021/22. Health Service Executive (HSE) chief Bernard Gloster also said he was unaware. But in recent days CHI told Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill that its content had been 'discussed' at performance management meetings with a senior HSE executive. READ MORE The report said a doctor, identified only as Consultant D, had been paid €35,800 for seeing patients at special clinics paid for by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). The report questioned whether the special NTPF clinics were needed and suggested the children could have been treated using other capacity in the public system. [ Audit of CHI waiting lists ordered to ensure productivity in public hospitals, Minister for Health says Opens in new window ] The report was devastating on several levels. Taoiseach Micheál Martin is a champion of the NTPF, which forms part of Government initiatives that have seen €1.6 billion spent in recent years trying to curb hospital waiting times. Any suggestion of irregularity could undermine the wider system. Senior management across the Department of Health, the HSE and the NTPF maintain they were completely blindsided. Senior figures have acknowledged it is possible there were 'miscommunications' but insist that CHI never flagged any serious issues. Oireachtas committees will, undoubtedly, seek to pursue what the HSE was told about the CHI report in 2021 or 2022. Gloster, in a pre-arranged interview with RTÉ's 'This Week' programme on May 25th, described the CHI report as 'absolutely shocking'. 'I assure you if anything connected with, or near connected with alleged people ingratiating themselves financially in the public health system, the first step I'll be taking is to refer that matter to the gardaí,' he said. Gloster demanded to see the report from CHI the next day, and the HSE passed it to Carroll MacNeill. The report caused consternation, with worrying findings made about the NTPF clinics. More importantly, the report raised issues about patient safety. In the Department of Health there was concern that architecture put in place in the health service to deal with issues regarding the safety of patients had apparently not been utilised. [ Hip surgery audit: Almost 70% of operations in two children's hospitals 'unnecessary' Opens in new window ] The HSE is understood to have pressed CHI to refer the report to the Medical Council, the regulatory body for doctors. It warned that it would make the referral itself if the CHI did not. Last Thursday the HSE said it would bring the issues to the Medical Council, as well as to gardaí. The NTPF suspended funding to CHI pending an investigation. The report also deals with rows between staff in a particular unit. The findings are stark: 'CHI has a broken culture, created by dysfunctional relationships and challenging behaviour, negatively impacting service delivery, department dynamics and staff experiences and has the potential to put patients at risk.' The new controversy arriving after issues of hip surgery and spinal implants adds to the governance problems at CHI, which is preparing to take on operation of the new €2 billion national children's hospital. On May 27th the Minister confirmed three members of the CHI board had resigned. Another had stepped down the previous week. The Taoiseach told the Dáil it was clear the environment was 'not optimal for safety'. He said it was absolutely critical that there should be fundamental reform at CHI. Separately, the Minister for Health said 'toxic behaviours' developed over time within CHI as individuals had not got along with its board and executive. The report found there were 'significant concerns' about the prudent and beneficial management of NTPF funding and a lack of oversight of access initiatives, which are ultimately not in keeping with the memorandum of understanding between CHI and the NTPF. Carroll MacNeill sought answers from CHI about the report. Sources said CHI appeared to view the report as identifying internal human resource management issues that were addressed internally. 'They don't seem to understand there is an issue,' one senior figure told The Irish Times. The Opposition demanded publication of the report but the Attorney General advised the Minister that such a move was up to CHI. However, over last weekend this argument became rather moot. On Monday The Irish Times reported details directly from the report . It found a 'negative and toxic' work culture at a CHI hospital, with multiple staff complaining of 'unprofessional and disruptive behaviour from consultants'. It said this contributed to the undermining of care and treatment for sick children. Challenging behaviours regarding one particular part of the organisation 'appear to be the norm', the report stated. It revealed one that consultant had taken a defamation action against another and stated that it was reasonable to assume this could only arise as a result of fraught relationships within this particular unit. In a statement issued at about 9.30pm on Bank Holiday Monday, CHI said the issues raised in the report had been addressed 'and the team in question are working well'. Effectively congratulating itself, the group said: 'This is an example of taking action when issues are identified in line with good HR practice.' [ Doctors say they warned CHI of toxic behaviour by several senior medics Opens in new window ] On Wednesday The Irish Times revealed that the consultant at the centre of the review for allegedly referring patients to the NTPF-funded clinic did not fulfil his on-call hours for more than three years due to 'health issues'. He had run five weekend clinics for which he was paid an additional €35,800. The consultant was seeing twice the number of patients in the weekend clinic than during his regular weekday equivalent. CHI had brought in a locum to cover the consultant's on-call hours, at a cost of around €450,000. 'It needs to be explored how one consultant can undertake a series of NTPF-funded clinics over numerous Saturdays and during these clinics see a much greater number of patients than they are able to see in their routine public clinics, working at a very fast pace with significant throughput – a substantial undertaking of additional work – yet is unfit for any on-call duties for the past three years,' the report stated. [ CHI consultant at centre of review did not fulfil on-call hours for three years due to 'health issues' Opens in new window ] In the meantime the Minister and the Department of Health were going through answers provided by CHI, particularly on whether the report's recommendations had been implemented. CHI told the department that monthly meetings had taken place, with actions tracked and the majority 'closed out'. Separately the HSE chief executive commissioned an audit of governance and equity in patient access and waiting-list management at CHI. This aimed to look at the balance between public and private patients' access to care. A pre-scheduled meeting of the Cabinet subcommittee on health discussed the CHI issue on Wednesday . Ministers were told the HSE had referred the CHI report to gardaí who will determine what steps to take. In the meantime the service level agreement between the HSE and CHI, which underpins funding, is to be strengthened. Under new HSE structures, regional executive officers have greater responsibilities for running services in their areas. The regional chief executive for Dublin and the Midlands will have a greater involvement in working with management in CHI. But the key issue for the Government is whether it believes CHI is the body that should be given responsibility for the new children's hospital. The Minister expressed confidence in current CHI management, and some in Government believe it may be too late to implement radical change before commissioning of the hospital begins. [ CHI unable to move in to national children's hospital due to continued delays Opens in new window ] Still, frustrations remain in Government at the succession of crises involving the children's hospital group. And a further report on spinal surgery is awaited.
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ireland's plan to weaken legal protections for waterways will push many of them beyond recovery
If I went to my doctor with a cancerous tumour that was treatable and curable, and he shrugged it off and told me to accept it – knowing that without treatment, it would eventually kill me – I'd think he had lost his mind. Yet this is how the Irish State plans to treat some of our most treasured rivers, lakes and estuaries. According to a proposal from the Department of Housing , certain iconic stretches of waters on the likes of the Shannon, Boyne and Blackwater rivers will no longer be viewed as needing restoration. Instead, they will face a future as engineered channels. In the 1980s and '90s, Europeans began to recognise that their rivers were in severe decline due to decades of neglect. Naturally meandering waterways were straightened, drained and dammed; chemicals, pesticides and untreated sewage poured into them unchecked. The problem was cross-border: the Danube, which flows through 10 countries, became saturated with pollution. In 1986, a fire at a chemical warehouse near Basle, Switzerland, caused the Rhine river to turn red with mercury and dyes, as vast amounts of toxic waste flowed hundreds of kilometres downstream into Germany and the Netherlands. Drinking water supplies were shut off, and aquatic life, such as European eels, was decimated. What was clear was that Europe needed a unified, legally binding approach to water protection that set out common rules, clear responsibilities and shared goals. By 2000, a plan was in place that aimed to safeguard waterways not only for aquatic life but also as a source of drinking water, transport and leisure for humans. This law, known as the Water Framework Directive, has a clear objective: to ensure all waterbodies reach at least 'good status', meaning they are clean, healthy and safe for swimming and drinking. Built into the plan is a legal recognition that some waterbodies, especially in highly industrialised countries such as Germany, have been altered so extensively that returning them to their natural state would be impossible or potentially harmful to human interests and security. These are placed in a special category, called 'heavily modified water bodies', and are legally exempt from the requirement to achieve 'good' status. They include reservoirs supplying drinking water, canals designed for navigation or drainage, urban rivers confined within concrete channels or culverts, ports, harbours and rivers drained for agricultural use. READ MORE While they cannot be used as dumping grounds for pollutants, the law accepts that these waters will never be restored or naturalised. For that reason, the principle guiding 'heavily modified' designation should be balanced and factor in whether it serves the widest possible interest: their number should be kept to a minimum, and where ongoing engineering and management is necessary – for example, in a reservoir or port – they must deliver significant benefit to the public. Ireland has 33 heavily modified water bodies, including Poulaphouca reservoir, which provides drinking water to Dublin; Cork Harbour for industrial activity; and New Ross Port in Wexford, run by the council as a transport route. But under the department's proposal, released in March, this number will increase by 1,312 per cent. It includes 122 waterbodies that run through some of Ireland's unique natural areas. It includes stretches of the Nore, Brosna, Maigue, Liffey, Fergus, Mulkear and Carrowbeg rivers; lakes such as Lough Corrib and Lough Derg; and estuaries like Lower Suir. [ Pollution on the Liffey: Algal blooms at Blessington a threat to Dublin's drinking water Opens in new window ] Why does the State want to all but give up on these waters? The problem stems from a law dating back to 1945, the Arterial Drainage Act, which gives the State sweeping powers to carry out large-scale drainage works, such as deepening, widening, dredging and straightening. Eighty years ago – when we knew nothing about climate warming – the law was viewed as progressive; today it clashes with the Water Framework Directive because this extent of drainage causes severe damage, irreversibly stripping rivers of their natural life and course. Ireland cannot abide by one law with the other. As long as these waters are drained, they will never meet the standards set by EU water law. Reservoirs, ports, canals and harbours must be operational, and as such, designating them as 'heavily modified' is in the public interest, as their functional demands cannot be fulfilled while simultaneously attempting restoration. But in the future, who'll benefit from the continual dredging of the Clare river in Galway, once one of our most natural rivers and now, in many parts, a canalised channel? Or the river Brosna, whose waters followed a meandering course through Offaly before its curves were straightened and its channel deepened? And how is it justified in the public interest, given that drainage makes our towns and cities more – not less – vulnerable to flash flooding? Instead of reshaping drainage policy so that it's fit for the critical challenges we face – not least, the chaotic mix of water shortages and drought, extreme weather events and rapidly warming waters – what's proposed is simply remove these waters from any hope of being restored to full health. Never before have our waterways needed climate and nature-proofed policies more. Our waters are warming at levels never seen before – for example, in Lough Feeagh in Mayo, the heat in the water has been above the long-term average (recorded since 1960) since January. Sea temperatures have soared. This is the future for which we need to rapidly prepare. Under the Nature Restoration Law, we're required to restore at least 20 per cent of our land and sea areas by 2030, increasing to 90 per cent by 2050. That includes rewetting organic soils, like those at the headwaters of the river Boyne, which are currently drained. Instead of giving up on our waters and relegating them to a lower standard – all for the sake of an outdated, 80-year-old law – now is the time to put energy into nature-based solutions, which are proven to be effective and cheap as a way to reduce flood risk, improve soil health and meet climate, nature and water goals without abandoning the land. We can't ignore the facts: our waterways are facing immense pressure, and some are already critically ill. Even if our only concern was water security, the urgent need for restoration is clear. This proposal to weaken their legal protections will only speed up their deterioration. Across Ireland, communities are volunteering to revive the life in their local waters. If this legal loophole is allowed, their efforts will be in vain. In effect, the State would be like a doctor unfit to practice – turning its back on the patient instead of providing care. As a result, many of our most treasured rivers and lakes will, without question, slip beyond recovery.
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Irish Times
HSE was aware of report on allegations of toxic culture and waiting list irregularities, CHI tells Minister
The Health Service Executive was made aware of a controversial report containing allegations about a toxic work culture and potential irregularities in the operation of schemes to tackle waiting lists, Children's Health Ireland (CHI) has told the Minister for Health . The Irish Times understands CHI, which runs children's hospitals in Dublin, said the contents of an internal report on issues in one of its hospitals had been 'discussed' with a senior HSE executive. CHI maintained in correspondence with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill that the report had been raised as part of performance review meetings. The assertion was made last week as part of a submission to the Minister, who had asked questions about the background to the internal report. CHI did not reply to a series of questions submitted by The Irish Times about the internal report. READ MORE The report was drawn up by Children's Health Ireland in late 2021 and early 2022 but never published. The document caused consternation in Government after parts were first revealed by the Sunday Times a fortnight ago. HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster , who took up office in 2023, said he had never been told about the document. He described the allegations in the CHI report as 'absolutely shocking'. The HSE this week referred the report to gardaí. The report raised questions over whether a series of clinics run by a consultant at CHI on Saturdays for patients on waiting lists were necessary. It said the consultant had been paid an additional €35,800 under the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), which buys care for patients on long public waiting lists. [ CHI consultant at centre of review did not fulfil on-call hours for three years due to 'health issues' Opens in new window ] The Irish Times reported this week that the CHI document maintained that there were 'significant concerns relating to the prudent and beneficial management of NTPF funding and lack of oversight of access initiatives which are ultimately not in keeping with the memorandum of understanding between CHI and the NTPF'. The report also said Children's Health Ireland had a 'broken culture – created by dysfunctional relationships and challenging behaviours'. The National Treatment Purchase Fund said that on learning of the allegations a fortnight ago, it suspended, pending a review, arrangements at CHI – known as insourcing – that saw hospitals and staff receive additional payments for treating patients on waiting lists outside core working hours. The Department of Health said on Friday that it believed NTPF funding for waiting list initiatives at Children's Health Ireland would recommence imminently. The NTPF said it took the issues around insourcing raised by the Children's Health Ireland report very seriously and was working closely with the department and HSE on this matter. 'It is completely unacceptable that there would be any misuse of public money and that children would wait longer for surgery when the whole purpose of the National Treatment Purchase Fund is to ensure faster access to treatment for public patients. The NTPF will fully reserve its position in relation to any proven misuse of public money and explore all options for restitution while ensuring public patients get the treatment they deserve.' It said that following initial reports about the CHI internal report, it immediately placed a temporary pause on all insourcing work with the children's hospital group 'while it initiated a review of this work to gather the necessary assurances regarding compliance, value for money and appropriate use of funding mechanisms'. 'This work is ongoing at the highest level with CHI to obtain and review these assurances. The intention is that the temporary pause will be lifted as soon as the NTPF is satisfied with the assurances given by CHI in this review so as to minimise any disruption to children and their families.' It said media reports that claimed 'thousands' of children would face surgery delays due to this pause were inaccurate, ill-informed and very disappointing to read.
