Urgent investment is needed to cut CAMHS wait times in Tipperary as waiting lists have soared by over 100% across the county.
The call from Deputy Martin Browne comes in the wake of new data released to Sinn Féin following a Parliamentary Question.
Waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in South Tipp increased by 118% between January 2020 and January 2023 while in the North of the County they jumped by 103%.
In CHO3 – which includes the North Tipperary area – 240 children are waiting over three months including 85 of whom are waiting more than a year.
For CHO5 – including South Tipperary – 209 children are waiting over three months with 25 of them are waiting in excess of a year.
Sinn Féin Deputy Martin Browne says these figures show that CAMHS services are desperately underfunded.
The Cashle TD has called on the Minister for Health to prioritise investment pointing out that there are significant vacancies across existing CAMHS teams including psychiatrists, psychologists, or specialists in mental health and disability. This he says is leading to children who need help being turned away from services.
Martin Browne says Minister Stephen Donnelly must produce a plan for capacity expansion and workforce planning to address these waiting lists.
