367 Children and Young People on a waiting list for mental health services in five rural towns, including Leitrim

Sligo Drumcliffe, Cllr Thomas Walsh has today said that the current numbers waiting on a mental health service in our community were unacceptable and very worrying.

There are 4361 children on a waiting list for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services across Ireland, with 367 children waiting in Leitrim, Sligo, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan.

Cllr Thomas said, "At a time where we have been promised an Early Intervention Youth Mental Health Service in Sligo Leitrim for at least two years, we have just last week been made aware that a meeting will take place in the coming weeks with senior management to finalise its establishment.

"This is mind-baffling that such a critical and necessary service has been put on the back foot for almost two years. 

"Even the psychologist for the service was seconded for the new service almost two years ago, yet the new project has not begun nor accepted one referral. 

"Issues such as who would manage the service have been to the fore in recent months in what can only be described by Cllr Walsh as unbelievable at such a time of crisis for so many families", Sligo Drumcliffe said. 

Cllr Thomas explains that the Mental Health Services for children and young people need to be restructured to attend to those suffering from mental health. 

"An integrated, regulated, transparent and accountable model was now needed across our island at this time when we are now seeing an unprecedented level of referrals for Mental Health Services.

"These worrying figures come at a time when Dr Susan Finnerty, Inspector of Mental Health Services, last month advised that there were discrepancies between the wait times and experiences of children depending on where they were in the country.

"These figures don't even take into account the 16-month wait list in Sligo, Leitrim for Psychology Services for a child", added Cllr Walsh.