Latest news with #MatthewSadlier
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
Teens aged 16 and 17 in mental distress will have to attend an adult A&E instead of new children's hospital, committee hears
Dublin psychiatrist Prof Matthew Sadlier highlighted mental health law which defines a child as someone under eighteen. However, the cut-off point for children's hospitals is 16, which means those aged 16 and 17, who are in mental suffering, must go to an adult accident and emergency department where there is no child and adolescent mental health service, he added. 'If they need medical intervention they must go to an adult emergency department,' he added, calling for change. 'We are about to open a new national children's hospital and it is time for the ages to be aligned,' he said. He was speaking as the committee heard from psychiatrists, Mental Health Reform and the Mental Health Commission to give their views on the new Mental Health Bill 2024 which is aiming to update the law around the care and treatment of patients. Philip Watt, interim chief executive of Mental Health Reform and Stephen Sheil, interim communications and engagement manager said it saw the Bill as a "significant opportunity, a once-in-a-generation chance to modernise our mental health legislation and bring it into line with human rights standards, including Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities." However, they said that it needs to be strengthened in different areas and "we are concerned that the Bill does not yet prohibit the admission of children to adult psychiatric units, which has been widely acknowledged as inappropriate and harmful'. "We recommend that the legislation include a clear statutory prohibition, which would reinforce the obligation to invest in appropriate child and adolescent services." Five children were admitted to adult psychiatric hospitals last year. Prof Sadlier said he was aware of a case where a teenager has to stay in an adult emergency department for a week . He is not in favour of a total ban on admitting children to adult psychiatric units. ADVERTISEMENT A number of amendments have been put forward to the proposed legislation. Asked by Labour party spokeswoman on health deputy Marie Sherlock what the view of psychiatrists is to the amendments around the care of involuntary patients psychiatrist Prof Brendan Kelly said they led to some improvements. However, he still had concerns about the criteria for involuntary admission which states that admission is 'immediately necessary for the protection of life of the person or that of another person or necessary for protection from an immediate and serious threat to the health of the person or that of other persons'. The use of risk as an admission criteria asks mental health care professionals to do something that lacks a firm evidence-base, and this risk criteria should be removed, he added. Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman told the committee of a pilot Community Access Support Team (CAST) project in Limerick. "This initiative is currently being trialled in partnership with the HSE in the Limerick Garda Division. The pilot started in January 2025 under 'A Policing Service for the Future' and is aimed at assisting people who are experiencing situational trauma or a mental health crisis." Its central goal is to reduce future presentations and interactions with Gardaí or other blue light emergency services, through community follow-ups and the case management of complex cases, she said. CAST has yet to be evaluated not only in terms of impact on individuals, but also on the amount of Garda time is being devoted to an area that is not a core function. "However, it is important to note that since its introduction, CAST has created greater integration among statutory and voluntary agencies operating in the Limerick Garda Division. It is grounded in international evidence."
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
Mental Health organisations raising concerns with Mental Health Bill
Professor Matthew Sadlier Chair of the IMO Consultants' Committee, discusses their issues with the proposed Mental Health Bill.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Charity hits out at 'fundamentally inaccurate' warnings about draft Mental Health Bill
A row has broken out over the impact of the draft Mental Health Bill with the national charity SHINE saying warnings of negative impacts are 'fundamentally inaccurate'. The draft bill was published last year to much concern from psychiatrists and will be discussed at the first sitting of the Oireachtas Health Committee on Wednesday. The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) is expected to criticise criteria for involuntary admission, timing of patients' psychosocial assessment, and care plan regulations. Professor Matthew Sadlier, a psychiatrist and chair of the IMO consultants committee, is due to say: 'Effectively, where a patient is found to lack capacity to consent to treatment, the bill would lead to a situation where rather than treating patients, consultants will be required to make an application to the High Court to get permission to do so.' He is expected to warn that patients with serious mental illness could be denied 'the right to timely and often life-saving medical treatment'. He is also due to discuss the practicalities of the proposals and is expected to say, while around 760 psychiatrists are needed, Ireland only has 570 approved posts, with almost 30% unfilled or filled on a temporary basis. However SHINE CEO, Nicola Byrne, has raised concerns about 'deeply stigmatising language and worrying predictions' used in discussions over the last few months. 'Claims that the bill abandons individuals with severe mental illness or removes the ability to intervene when someone is unwell and lacks the capacity to understand their situation or the need for help are fundamentally inaccurate,' she said. "This legislation aims to provide a clearer, more rights-respecting framework for involuntary mental healthcare.' She defended the proposed admission criteria, saying: 'The legislation is designed to intervene when a mental disorder presents specific risks or urgent treatment needs.' There are already 'significant safeguards' in the Bill, she argued. 'What is too often missing from these discussions is the reality that the vast majority of people living with psychosis or schizophrenia are not in crisis, they are studying, working, parenting, volunteering, and contributing to their communities like anyone else,' she said. Read More Suzanne Crowe: People with severe mental illness will be failed by proposed new law
