Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 June 2018
19. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to communications received by the Ombudsman for Children from HSE management in 2011 regarding the resources available and the referral pathway in counties Laois and Offaly CAMHS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28386/18]
View answerI am not aware of the communication referred to by the Deputy.
Initial enquiries with the HSE indicate that they are so far unable to identify the communication mentioned by the Deputy. I have requested the HSE to examine the question and reply directly to the Deputy. In the meantime if the Deputy would like to provide further information to clarify his request I will be happy to pursue further with the HSE.
I wish to reiterate the Government's strong commitment to develop all aspects of mental health. Since 2012, around €200m additional funding has been provided for this care programme, including approval of some 2,000 new posts. The HSE continues to enhance various aspects of its CAMHS service, including improved access at local level for areas such as Laois and Offaly.
There has been increased funding for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for Laois/Offaly from €1.387m in 2011 to €2.528m in 2018. Overall staffing levels for the service increased from approximately 16 in 2011 to 34 in 2018. It should be noted too that there has been a significant increase in activity levels for the respective years with, for example the number of referrals received increasing from 167 to 1044; new appointments offered increased from 146 to 797; and new clients seen increased from 107 to 484.
