Latest news with #PhilipWatt
Irish Independent
11-06-2025
- 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."
Irish Examiner
05-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Cork and Kerry mental health services have fewer staff now than during staffing crisis two years ago
The majority of child mental health teams in Cork and Kerry have fewer staff now than in 2023 when the Mental Health Commission said children were at risk due to vacancies. One team is down more than 50% despite rising patient numbers. Across the two counties, 407 children have waited longer than a year. A new ADHD service has already seen far more children than expected but still has a waiting list. Cork and Kerry have 11 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) teams, of which seven have fewer clinical staff now. The South Lee 3 team has 5.9 roles filled between full-time and part-time staff, compared with 13.1 two years ago. South Lee 1 has 7.8 roles filled now compared to 13.5 then. The West Cork team had 11.65 roles filled two years ago and now has 9.8. However, in the wake of separate reports on serious concerns, South Kerry has the equivalent of 14.8 clinical staff compared to 9.76 two years ago, and in North Kerry the numbers are 13.4 compared to 11.2. North Cork has 14.6 clinical staff now compared to 12.8 two years ago, but it also has the highest waiting lists at 248, including 110 children waiting longer than a year. Across all the teams 2,142 children are in active treatment with 1,074 on waiting lists. Last October, the HSE opened a dedicated ADHD clinic in Ballincollig. This takes transfers from Cork and Kerry of children with suspected ADHD. It expected to see 120 young people within six months. This data, released under the Freedom of Information Act, shows by February it received 264 referrals and treated 193. The figures follow mental health minister Mary Butler in April warning HSE South West and Dublin North East together carry 50% of Camhs national waiting lists. Mental Health Reform interim chief executive Philip Watt called for more supports for these two regions. 'It does show the pace of investment and progress needs to increase,' he said. Staffing gaps are 'the legacy of the recruitment ban' he warned, adding: "There was no recruitment to Camhs for a significant period of time.' He welcomed the new ADHD service, but said: 'The over-subscription and the waiting list is a matter of specific concern.' He also called for better access to alternatives for less severely children, including the Jigsaw centres. A HSE South West spokeswoman said the ADHD service had one consultant and one NCHD (non-consultant hospital doctor) which she described as a 'streamlined team'. She said: "Feedback from families has been very positive." The vacant Camhs posts are 'one of our top regional priorities', she said, for providing 'accessible, high-quality mental health care for every child'. She added: 'It is important to clarify that at present there is no recruitment ban.' In 2023, the Mental Health Commission said in Cork and Kerry there had been a just under 20% increase in referrals to Camhs services from 2016 to 2021 without a corresponding increase in staffing. It praised 'highly skilled staff ' but highlighted 'complicated, piecemeal and unsustainable efforts to fill the considerable gaps'.
