Funding for mental health services  'perilously low'

An interim report, published last month by the Mental Health Commission, gave a damning assessment of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), a year on from the review of mental health services in South Kerry CAMHS.

A lack of specialist consultant psychiatrists could lead to further crises for patients following high-profile failings in children's mental health services in Kerry, a top consultant has warned.

Speaking ahead of the annual conference of the College of Psychiatrists, president Dr Lorcan Martin said the current funding for mental health services is "perilously low" with poor staff resourcing.

“At present, we do not have nearly enough doctors in psychiatry to meet patient demand,” he said.

“This extremely worrying resources crisis is a symptom of our difficulty in both recruiting doctors to the services and retaining those already working here," he said.

CAMHS report

An interim report, published last month by the Mental Health Commission, gave a damning assessment of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), a year on from the review of mental health services in South Kerry CAMHS.

That review of the care of more than 1,300 children found that 46 children suffered significant harm.

The report from the Mental Health Commission also highlighted failings and serious issues across CAMHS in five out of nine community healthcare organisations, in what was referred to by Tánaiste Micheál Martin as “unacceptable”.

Investigation

The HSE will now commence a probe of approximately 500 open cases in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in North Kerry after major concerns — including regarding the use of medication — emerged in a random audit of 50 files.

Speaking in the Dáil last month, junior minister Mary Butler said that despite a fully funded consultant psychiatric post being advertised at South Kerry CAMHS since 2016, it “is unfortunately still vacant”.

Dr Martin, who was due to address non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs), said the Government’s inability to adequately recruit and retain consultant psychiatrists is “extremely worrying” and having knock-on impacts for junior doctors in training.

Budget

He said the overall budget for national mental health services is 5.6% of the overall health budget and that current funding for training doctors to be specialists in psychiatry is €600,000 short of what is needed.

While he said there were only 500 specialist consultant psychiatrists posts in Ireland, that figure should be closer to 835 to meet the growing demand.

“If we can put a meaningful plan in place to improve working conditions for doctors in psychiatry — specialists, trainee specialists, and other NCHDs — supported with a plan to address our current perilously low funding, then an adequate number of appropriately trained professionals to resource services should follow,” Dr Martin said.

He added that NCHDs want to stay and practice in Ireland, and the Government and HSE must do everything in their power to provide a “well-staffed, well-funded and appropriate working environment”.

“This is what our patients deserve,” he said. 

“NCHDs need to work in a positive environment promoting best practice and innovation if we are to avoid losing another generation of doctors to emigration.”