People Before Profit TD and member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Future of Mental Health has slammed the government’s lack of support for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Cherry Orchard in Dublin.
The TD was reacting to a letter addressed to the Minister of State for Mental Health Jim Daly TD from the Psychiatric Nurses’ Association in which the continued “diminution” of Linn Dara was outlined.
The letter outlines that the number of operational bed in Linn Dara has been reduced from 24-13. This is in the context of the Day Hospital in Linn Dara being closed in July and a crisis in waiting lists.
Deputy Kenny said that this is showing total disregard for the young people that are in desperate need of quality mental health services.
He called for the government to take on board People Before Profits pre Budget submission and allocate an extra €304 million to the mental health budget.
Gino Kenny said: “The government need to wake up to the crisis situation that we have in CAMHS services in Ireland. Due to the chronic underfunding of CAMHS and the continued reduction of beds in Linn Dara and other centres we have children and adolescents being put into adult wards. This is a scandal in my opinion and is not appropriate in any way.
“Minister Daly needs to take a lead on this now and demand that the government increase their extra allocation of funds in Budget 2019 from €55 million extra to €304 million as we in People Before Profit have suggested.
“We need to hire more mental health nurses and pay them properly so that we can open more beds and end the crisis in our CAMHS services. If the government continue to allow this to happen and not put in place the required funding to alleviate the situation, they are abdicating their responsibility towards these vulnerable young people.”
