Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 December 2015
16. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health the efforts he is making to ensure that young persons with mental health issues who are on counselling waiting lists will be seen as soon as possible, and that counselling staff will be supported in helping these persons. [42692/15]
View answerThe number of children on the waiting list for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) has been a particular concern to me, and last March I asked the HSE to undertake a detailed validation of CAMHS waiting lists with the aim of minimising waiting times and, in particular, reducing the number of those waiting over 12 months. This exercise involved very intensive work on the part of the HSE Mental Health Division, including the introduction of a new Standard Operating Procedure for both in-patient and community CAMHS services. These measures must be seen in the context of ensuring the maximum benefit from the very substantial additional investment in CAMHS services under this Government.
In addition, the HSE has been working to enable young people to access more readily counselling services in the primary care setting.
I am pleased that very good progress has been made in addressing the waiting lists under these initiatives. The Waiting List is continuing to fall throughout 2015 as a result of this approach and, as of October 2015, the number of children waiting over 52 weeks has fallen by 50%. In the meantime, children with counselling needs of a more serious nature continue to be referred to CAMHS, as appropriate.
The HSE will continue to work to strengthen Primary Care counselling services by addressing the following key priorities:
- The filling of vacant Primary Care psychologist posts in targeted areas and the recruitment of Assistant Psychologists;
- The adoption of a stepped care model of counselling provision in child and adolescent primary care psychology services; and
- The implementation of the Access to Psychological Services Ireland (APSI) model in an incremental manner for children whereby children will be seen immediately and either offered a low intensity intervention or referred to a more appropriate service (e.g. secondary care mental health services).
In addition, the HSE will examine the feasibility of introducing a Counselling in Primary Care type model for children and adolescents.
