Letters to the Editor: Big investment in age-appropriate mental health is badly needed

The article Laws 'must state no children will be admitted to adult mental health facilities' (Irish Examiner, December 1) is a timely reminder of the need for increased investment in mental health services for children and young people.

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As reported, the proposed changes to the Mental Health Act 2001 will continue to allow for the admission of children to adult psychiatric units.

This practice has been repeatedly identified as something which should not happen under any circumstances. Despite this, 27 children were admitted to adult units in 2020.

While this number has been reduced in recent years and the proposed amendments do recognise that this is an issue, Children in Hospital Ireland feel that any number of admissions to adult psychiatric units is still unacceptable.

A lack of specialist mental health services for children is core to the issue.

Nationally, there is a very limited provision of emergency supports, with an inadequate number of beds available.

In a crisis, the only options for children and their parents are the emergency department, a general children’s hospital or a specialist adult psychiatric unit.

The review of the Mental Health Act has shone a light on this deficit. Legislation is needed to prevent this practice but equally substantial investment in age-appropriate services is needed to ensure that placing a child in an adult psychiatric unit is never even considered.

Decisive action to end this practice would be in line with sentiments expressed in national and international instruments including the National Healthcare Charter for Children, the European Association for Children in Hospital (EACH) charter, and the work of UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Anna Gunning

Chief executive

Children in Hospital Ireland,

Sandyford

Dublin 18

Cheap alcohol and its Christmas effects

As the festive season approaches the multinationals spend vast sums of money on their flagship Christmas TV advertisments. You know the type that tell a story, tug at the heartstrings, and leave the viewer with a smile and sometimes a tear of joy.

The feelgood factor is a big part of those ads. Many of those multi- nationals continue to advertise their wares separate to their flagship Christmas ads. 

All the necessary foodstuffs, toys, and luxury items essential to a happy Christmas are flashed across our TV screens at unbelievable prices.

Unfortunately, they also choose to include dirt-cheap alcohol as part of their festive season essentials, while ignoring the associated harms. 

Many children end up having what should be a happy Christmas destroyed as a result of the sale of dirt-cheap alcohol.

Many families will endure Christmas, but not enjoy it, because of alcohol abuse by a family member.

House parties and cheap alcohol are a deadly combination and regretfully have become the norm. 

Hopefully the introduction of minimum unit pricing in January 2022 will help to reduce the harms associated with cheap alcohol. 

And maybe the multinationals might take note that the two-second “Enjoy alcohol responsibly” message is of little comfort to the children and families impacted by cheap alcohol.

John Higgins

Ballina

Co Mayo

Connecting blind and vision-impaired

As we face into another winter of uncertainty, companionship, feeling connected and having access to vital services have never been more important. 

Many people who are blind or vision-impaired have experienced heightened feelings of isolation and anxiety due to Covid-19 restrictions.

One response to this was NCBI launching its Connection Network service, which is a volunteer-led befriending service to service users. 

Through a weekly phone call, it gives opportunity to expand social networks, share conerns, and feel connected. 

The service has proven to be very successful and now NCBI is seeking more volunteers to help us reach more service users ahead of International Volunteer Day on December 5.

All volunteers will be fully trained and supported and are guaranteed to enjoy the experience. 

Calls to service users are made at no cost to the volunteer as they are made through the Blueface app.

An active volunteer said: “Volunteering in the Connection Network service has given me a sense of fulfilment and friendship. I enjoy my weekly chats with service users and feel I am part of providing a great service to vulnerable people especially during this pandemic when people are very lonely due to Covid19.”

Feedback from service users included comments such as: “Knowing that I had someone on the other end of the phone who wanted to chat has gotten me through the second lockdown.”

For people who are blind or vision-impaired, it is important to know that NCBI and its wider community are there to support them in the coming months and well into the future. 

If you are interested in volunteering with the NCBI Connection Network, please contact: [e-mail].

June Tinsley

NCBI Head of Advocacy andCommunications

Energy: We must revisit nuclear option

Irish electricity consumers are facing exponential increases in their energy bills, together with the potential that Ireland could face a shortfall of electricity supply over the next five winters.

While we would all enjoy living in the utopian world of renewable energy, that is not any way viable in the near future, given the unreliability of wind and solar.

Unfortunately, and despite the claims by the renewables sector, of filling the energy shortfall, nothing could be further from the truth. 

This is a sector, notably the wind energy sector, which has garnered billions of euro of State subsidies — with little or nothing to show for it, especially when the wind does not blow!

While we would all enjoy living in the utopian world of renewable energy, that is not in any way viable in the near future, given the unreliability of wind and solar.

At the recent Cop26 summit in Glasgow, the head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, suggested that it was time to consider the nuclear option as an approach towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and engage seriously on the merits of nuclear power. 

Without doubt, there are of course safety risks as regards handling of nuclear waste and the cost of plants. However, small modular reactors (SMRs) are being developed by Rolls Royce, offering the promise of power stations that can be built at a fraction of the cost of conventional nuclear power plants, such as the Hinkley Point C plant in Somerset.

Accepting the nuclear option would, in the long term, reduce energy costs and would also support a gradual phase out of fossil fuel use.

Patrick L O’Brien

Kerry Pike

Co Cork

Letters to Santa

Season’s greetings to everyone from the magical North Pole.

Letters are pouring in from all around the world, so I would like to remind all the boys and girls in Ireland to write and post their letters to me as soon as possible.

The elves are working hard every day getting the toys and gifts ready in good time for Christmas and they are washing their hands too.

This is what the boys and girls should do:

Write their letter to me straight away; Put it in an envelope, seal it and address it to ‘Santa Claus, The North Pole’.

Letters are pouring in from all around the world, so Santa would like to remind all the boys and girls in Ireland to write and post their letters to as soon as possible.

Write their own name and full postal address (in very clear handwriting) on the top left-hand corner of the front of the envelope.

Stick a stamp on the top right-hand corner and post it in your local An Post postbox — that’s important.

It’s that easy. My friends in An Post are helping me to reply to as many children’s letters as possible before Christmas this year.

And a word to the adults — post your cards and parcels to family and friends straight away. 

Christmas is getting very close now and there is snow and ice and other challenges in many places, so please allow time for your post to reach your loved ones before the big day.

I hope you all have a very safe and happy Christmas. Very best wishes

Santa

North Pole

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