Vol. 551 No. 4
141 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the additional facilities and sup ports he intends to provide for children with ADD-ADHD, particularly occupational therapy services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10760/02]
The development of services for the management and treatment of ADD-ADHD was considered by the working group on child and adolescent psychiatry, which recommended the enhancement and expansion of the overall child and adolescent psychiatric service as the most effective means of providing the required service for this group.
In 2002, additional revenue funding of €6.061 million, £4.773 million, has been provided to improve child and adolescent psychiatric services by supporting the recruitment of additional consultant-led teams and the further enhancement of existing multi-disciplinary teams, including occupational therapy services. Each health board now has funding for a minimum of three consultant-led child and adolescent multi-disciplinary teams.
The working group also recommended that a total of seven child and adolescent in-patient psychiatric units for children ranging from six to 16 years should be developed throughout the country. Project teams have been established in respect of the proposed units in Cork, Limerick, Galway and one in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area – at St. Vincent's Hospital, Fairview. Capital funding will be provided for these units and one further unit in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area under the National Development Plan 2000-2006.
