Over 400 children across Sligo and Leitrim awaiting appointments from mental health services

Sinn Féin TD for Sligo Leitrim, Martin Kenny has accused the government of failing in children’s mental health across CHO1 which covers Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal and other areas in the northwest.  His comments come as the numbers of young people waiting for appointments with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) rose to over 400 in CHO Area 1, which covers most of the Sligo-Leitrim constituency. 

Teachta Kenny has called for a solution focused approach to ensure children in Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal and the wider northwest area get the timely support they need.

Speaking today, Teachta Kenny said, “According to figures received from the HSE by my party colleague Mairéad Farrell TD, 417 children are waiting on appointments for CAMHS in the CHO area covering Sligo and Leitrim.  This accounts for over 10% of the nationwide figure of 4,043 children awaiting a CAMHS appointment. 

“We know from experts in the field that early intervention is critical to reaching an improved outcome.

“More and more of our young people are not receiving this timely care and there is an increase in the amount of young people presenting to CAHMS for treatment.  We are also seeing an increase in the amount of time these children are waiting for an appointment.

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"These long waits are totally unacceptable and have the potential to affect treatment outcomes. Children and young people across the northwest deserve better. 

“This isn’t the fault of those working within the service..  These services are nothing without their staff and I want to commend the invaluable work that they do in our local communities under huge pressure. However, the staff within CAMHS are being let down by the government's failure to recruit and retain staff, which in turn adds to this increase in waiting lists.

“The government is failing to address this extremely serious situation.  Mental health service provision has long gone past the point of being deemed a crisis. 

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“We need to move away from the postcode lottery for services.  Treatment should be based on need, not on where you live. 

“I and my Sinn Féin colleagues are committed to delivering on these solutions and it will be a priority for a Sinn Féin government. We would prioritise our young people. We would prioritise early intervention in their mental health care

“It is up to the government to act now and end this scandal. Neither the staff within the service, nor the people trying to access it, should be expected to pay the price for government failure to plan and adequately resource this crucial health service.”

“We desperately need a solution-focused approach to ensure children in Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal and the wider northwest area get the timely support they need and deserve.”