Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 December 2022
301. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the concerns escalated by the Mental Health Commission report into CAMHS; the nature of these concerns; the steps that the HSE is taking to address these concerns; the reason that they were not escalated to the Minister for Mental Health and Older People; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62777/22]
View answerThe Mental Health Commission (MHC) is an independent statutory body, established under the Mental Health Act 2001.
The Commission’s principal functions are to promote, encourage, and foster the establishment and maintenance of high standards and good practices in the delivery of mental health services and to take all reasonable steps to protect the interests of persons detained in approved centres under the Act. As the Mental Health Commission is an independent body, and in light of the fact that the Commission has not completed its on-going review of the CAMHS service nationally, the specific issues raised by the Deputy are in the first instance a matter for detailed consideration by the MHC and HSE. In this context, any actions arising from the Commission's review are also a matter in the first instance between the MHC and the HSE.
I understand that the Commission has completed a review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in five CHOs, with four to be completed. As is normally the case with MHC inspections and reports, any MHC concerns brought to the attention of the HSE are addressed directly by the Executive.
The Government values the independent role of the Mental Health Commission to promote high standards and good practice in mental health services. I look forward to receiving any MHC reports, when these are completed and formally submitted to me. The Deputy can rest assured that I will continue to closely monitor all matters relating to CAMHS, arising from the publication of the Maskey report earlier this year, taking account of normal procedures and the statutory responsibilities of the statutory agencies involved.
