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Irish Times
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Mental Health Bill bypassing health committee ‘sets a dangerous precedent', says chair
Bringing the Mental Health Bill straight to the Dáil and bypassing the Oireachtas health committee is 'not in line with best practice' and 'sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of this term', its chairman has said. Last week, Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler secured Cabinet approval of the Government's committee-stage amendments to the bill, which will significantly overhaul the State's mental health laws. A spokesman for the Minister said 'given the already busy agenda' of the Health Committee, she decided to bring the Bill to the floor of the Dáil 'where every Deputy will have the opportunity to speak on the committee-stage amendments to the Bill'. [ Admitting a patient without consent and not treating them isn't 'care' - it's imprisonment Opens in new window ] Pádraig Rice, chairman of the health committee, wrote to the Minister on Thursday criticising this decision. READ MORE Mr Rice, the Social Democrats ' spokesman on health, said the committee had agreed to undertake extra sessions each week to progress the Bill. 'It is therefore with disappointment, and some frustration, that we learned [on Wednesday] of your plans to bypass the joint committee and bring the Bill straight to the Dáil,' his letter said. 'This Bill is of significant importance and deserves due consideration. Taking this Bill and the hundreds of amendments that are being proposed and expected in the Dáil is not in line with best practice, does the issue a disservice and sets a dangerous precedent for the rest of this term.' Mr Rice said following his appointment as chair, he expressed an intention to 'work in a spirit of co-operation and partnership with Government and opposition alike'. 'I would appreciate if a similar approach was reciprocated,' he added, requesting the Minister to reconsider her decision. A spokesman for the Minister said she is 'determined to ensure the Mental Health Bill progresses to enactment before the end of the year'. 'The Bill has been in development for many years, and received support from all sides of the house at second stage last autumn. 'This is far from unprecedented, and many bills have been taken through committee stage on the floor of the House. As Chief Whip, the Minister will ensure the Bill is afforded ample time on the Dáil schedule to allow all of the amendments to be debated fully,' the spokesman said. If enacted, the new mental health bill will regulate the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) and other community services for the first time. It will also allow 16- and 17-year-olds the right to consent to mental healthcare as they already can for physical health. Under amendments brought to Cabinet this week, an individual who is involuntarily admitted to an acute psychiatric unit can be detained for up to 42 days, an increase on the 21 days previously proposed under the bill.
The Journal
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Journal
Minister for Health says transgender healthcare is 'not meeting people's needs'
THE MINISTER FOR Health has said that transgender healthcare services in Ireland 'are not meeting people's needs and also not meeting their full range of needs'. Speaking in the Dáil last night, Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill also said 'it's for that very reason that the HSE is developing the new model of care for gender healthcare services'. This new model will be developed in a consultative way, the Minister said, 'engaging with healthcare professionals in gender healthcare, [and] stakeholders, including people with lived and living experience and the families of people who use and receive support from services'. She added that the government is committed to developing a new model of care that is based on 'clinical evidence, respect, inclusiveness and compassion'. The Minister was responding to a question from Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice, who raised the concerns of the transgender community with the National Gender Service (NGS). He cited a recent investigative series from The Journal Investigates which he described as a 'harrowing' report into services currently available to transgender people. 'One patient described feeling traumatised after going through the services. Another one saying it felt like an interrogation, and people are being forced to go online to access HRT,' he added. He also called for the new model of care to be based on an informed consent model, in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Advertisement Since 2019, the WHO no longer treat being transgender as a mental or behavioural disorder. Instead, they now see it as relating to a person's sexual health. The WHO is currently developing clinical guidelines for transgender healthcare. The Minister thanked Deputy Rice for raising the 'very important perspective on the National Gender Service' in the Dáil, adding that 'a person-centred approach is what we want to get to'. She said that her Department has provided €770,000 in Budget 2025 to support the development of the new model of care. 'The clinical lead has been appointed, a cross-speciality clinical advisory group has been established, and a review of the evidence base is also underway,' she added. A community pilot project aimed at identifying 'the needs of children and young people who are gender questioning will also commence in the coming months', the Minister said. Advocates 'deeply concerned' The investigation by The Journal Investigates reported that transgender people said the questioning that takes place during NGS assessments can feel traumatic and upsetting. These questions include asking about what pornography they watch or details about their sexual lives with their partners. It also revealed how some transgender people are turning to DIY HRT , a method of accessing healthcare outside the official channels. This involves ordering hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs through a variety of online sources. Transgender people who move to Ireland from other countries are also being told by the NGS they must join the waitlist and go through their assessment process before accessing healthcare in Ireland. This is despite having legally changed their gender and previously accessed gender-affirming care in their home countries. Related Reads Transgender people moving to Ireland put on long waitlist for vital healthcare until assessed Transgender people turning to DIY-healthcare due to lack of trust in National Gender Service 'It left me traumatised': The barriers to accessing transgender healthcare in Ireland Responding to the investigation, the Professional Association for Trans Health Ireland (PATHI) said in a statement that it was 'deeply concerned' by the 'structural failures within Ireland's trans healthcare system'. PATHI is a group of healthcare professionals, academics, and community advocates working to advance the health, rights and wellbeing of trans and gender diverse people. The group also called for 'urgent, systemic reform to address the extensive barriers and inadequate and unsafe care faced by trans people across the country'. Ryan Goulding, a registered mental health nurse and PATHI Field Representative for Primary Health, said: 'Trans people are being left with no safe, trustworthy, or accessible options for care. This is a clinical, ethical, and structural failure that cannot continue. The way forward is clear.' It is expected that the development of the new model of care will take two years. — Conor O'Carroll is an investigative reporter with The Journal Investigates . Our investigative unit is dedicated to lifting the lid on how Ireland works. This takes time and it takes resources. Find out how you can help: Support The Journal Investigates Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
13-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
CUH mental health unit spent €4m on agency staff, with annual cost tripling in six years
The acute mental health unit at Cork University Hospital has spent more than €4m on temporary agency staff, with the annual cost almost tripling since 2019. These new HSE figures come just two months after the Mental Health Commission (MHC) raised serious concerns about staffing levels at the unit. Agency staff are external healthcare workers who are hired on a temporary basis by the HSE, usually when they are short-staffed. They can be hired when a service lack specific skills. At this unit, the agency bill covers nurses, medical staff, administration workers, and last year also housekeeping staff. The total bill for 2019 was €373,017, but by last year this had reached €1.13m. Additionally, in a sign this trend is set to continue, the bill for January to March of this year stood at €213,484. Psychiatric nurses made up the bulk of the numbers, with €622,169 spent last year, up from €197,726 in 2019. In the first three months of this year alone, the unit spent €118,256 on nursing staff. In another sign of pressures on recruitment, the unit had to hire agency staff for housekeeping, at a cost of €1,060 last year. The data was shared in response to a parliamentary query from Pádraig Rice, Social Democrats health spokesman. 'This colossal increase in agency spending must be reversed,' he said. We need to see these posts converted into permanent HSE positions and put a stop to this growing overreliance on outsourcing to the private sector. He said full-time permanent staff were 'not only better value for money, but they would provide the kind of consistency and skills-mix that this unit so desperately needs'. Mr Rice raised these concerns in light of the MHC report, saying this found the unit non-compliant with necessary staffing numbers. In a letter released with the figures, Declan Cronin, acting head for mental health services, acknowledged the 'financial challenges' this way of working brings. He said agency staff were used to 'ensure patient safety and maintain service delivery, particularly during staffing shortages, unplanned absences, or in areas with recruitment challenges'. These staff are needed to offer a flexible service and specialist skills, Mr Cronin added. He also said this helped maintain care standards and legal staffing requirements. 'While this approach supports continuity of care, it also presents financial challenges, prompting ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on agency staffing,' he said. Earlier this year, the daughter of a patient at the unit echoed the MHC's concerns. Susan Keane had noticed the impact of staff shortages during her mother's stay. 'When I read the report, I felt less alone, I felt this is not just a poor service that my mother is experiencing,' she told the Irish Examiner. 'People need to know, I feel if this is happening to my mother, it is everyone." "And not everyone has an advocate acting for them," she added. 'The whole time I'm just thinking, is she going to have another fall, is she going to fall again?' Read More European award to allow 10% of cancer patients in CUH to access clinical trials
