A local TD says figures on increased consultants within Tipperary CAMHS doesn’t help families.
In response to concerns raised in recent days over waiting lists for young people in the county with mental health difficulties HSE Mid-West said a number of investments had been made to reduce these wait times.
However, Sinn Féin’s Martin Browne says the number of children presenting is increasing and slow recruitment and inadequate funding models are preventing proper progress.
He told Tipp Today that the responsibility lies with the Minister for Health and the HSE – with multi funding required for CAMHS.
“It is just the same thing, the same answers that we are being thrown the whole time. It’s heart-breaking because we have some of the same families coming in after three years trying to fight for services that should be there for them and it’s just not good enough because every time there is money being spent most of it is being taken up by administration and red tape the whole thing must be streamlined that they’re able to operate and forward plan and prioritise the staff fields that they need.”
Deputy Browne told Tipp Today that while news of recruitment is a positive it is happening too slowly, as well as there being issues with an outdated IT system.
“We have called for an integrated IT system and that would improve it as well because it seems to be that if you are attending one sector in CAMHS that the next section that you go onto its nearly like starting it all over again explaining stuff whereas if you have an IT system that covers all the ranges it should be very simple to move from one sector to another. It is ridiculous and that is what we have been calling for and we will continue to fight for and I would love to say that this is the last time I will be on raising the issues of waiting lists getting longer.”
