Plans aim to dispose of multiple waiting lists for youth mental health services
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Children and teens could see an end to multiple long waiting lists for mental health services from this year under plans to allow for a single referral to open doors to all services.
This comes as an additional fund of €10m for new developments in youth mental health was announced on Tuesday by Minister of State for Mental Health Mary Butler.
Dr Amanda Burke, clinical lead for youth mental health, said a GP referral, for example, will be assessed by a panel to decide on the most appropriate local service. “Essentially what it takes away is multiple referrals, and the parent having to decide what service is better,” she said.
The panels will include HSE and NGO experts such as Jigsaw or Pieta House as well as staff from Tusla, disability services, and others.
“The referral will be looked at and sent to the most appropriate service. It will also be date-stamped,” she said. “If that young person is then seen by that service and they are more appropriate for somewhere else they won’t have to go back and join the back of the queue again.”
While Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) are often seen as synonymous with youth mental health, she said “the vast majority” of young people’s mental health issues are more suited to other services.
Dr Burke was speaking during a conference in Dublin on the Sharing the Vision mental health policy.
Ms Butler told the , during the same conference, that these panels are funded through this year's health budget. They allow for a “no wrong door approach”, she said, making it easier for families to get help.
It is rolling out in two areas initially, and she said: “What I want to end up with is that there will be no postcode lottery, that we will be able to do that in all regions of the country.”
She said of the €10m in funding: "This is not part of the €80m in additional funding announced for 2024, this is an additional €10m for new developments.”
She said: “I didn’t make any secret of the fact that at budget time even though there was an increase in funding, I was disappointed at the amount of funding I secured for new developments.”
A new unit opened three months ago within the HSE to oversee reforms in Camhs and boost links with other services, following a series of highly critical reports.
Donan Kelly, HSE assistant national director for child and youth mental health, welcomed the funding. “Workforce is an issue across the country at the moment,” he said referring in particular to psychiatrist shortages.
“One of the focuses in our service going forward is to have bespoke recruitment to bring in staff to those existing vacancies,” he said.
“We know there is a recruitment pause at the moment in the HSE, but with what’s been announced today, and what was announced in the Budget, we have a lot of new service posts.”