Emergency departments attend to more than 1,200 children with mental health issues

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Mental Health, Mark Ward, said: "Emergency Departments are not the place for anyone suffering from mental ill health especially a child. Early intervention is key and children are simply not getting this early intervention." Photo: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Some 1,220 children and young people presented to an Emergency Department last year with a mental health issue - a 40% increase in just three years.

The figure was flagged by Sinn Féin spokesperson for Mental Health, Mark Ward, and came just days after it emerged that the percentage of referrals to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs) is continuing to fall.