In regard to north Kerry, we addressed this again last Thursday. There will be an audit in north Kerry, similar to the audit in south Kerry. The chief officer has informed me that he is currently trying to get a consultant of the calibre of Dr. Seán Maskey to do the north Kerry audit. He is looking outside of Ireland in that regard. Dr. Maskey will not be carrying out the audit in north Kerry. To make sure the audit is independent, the chief officer will seek a consultant from outside of Ireland. On the national au…

As the Deputy will know, it is very important that these reviews are conducted independently. It is for that reason the chief officer is seeking a consultant from outside of Ireland to do the review in north Kerry, which is really important. My complete and utter focus at the moment is on getting the supports for the young people who need them. The Deputy knows as well as I do that there are challenges. The post has been vacant since 2016 even though it was funded. Prior to Christmas and the publication of the repo…

I thank the Deputy for his question. The HSE confirmed that as of 2 February, the latest available data show there were 23 children on the Longford-north Westmeath CAMHS waiting list and 14 on the south Westmeath list. The primary care psychology service does not cross-check its waiting lists with CAMHS or other services to see whether children are on more than one list. It is my understanding, however, that there are children on both waiting lists. All children are accepted or not accepted to primary care psycholo…

Provisional figures indicate that, for 2021, referrals received were up by 5,171 on the previous year. In total, 22,600 children were referred. There are now 73 CAMHS teams, compared with 49 in 2008, and we have three paediatric liaison teams as well. There are more than 1,000 CAMHS staff, including 660 clinicians, and 93% of consultant psychiatrist posts are filled. Last year, with the money I secured in the budget, we recruited 53 more clinical staff into CAMHS teams all over the country. The Mental Health Commis…

To build confidence in the 73 CAMHS teams around the country, where a huge amount of really good work is done on a daily basis, I felt it was very important, with the support of the Minister, to initiate a sample random audit of children throughout the country who were being prescribed medications. Dr. Maskey looked at 1,300 files in Kerry and we discovered 1,000 files showing that 500 children were medicated without having any adverse reactions and another 500 were not medicated. We then discovered there were issu…

I welcome this opportunity to address the House on the issues raised by the three Deputies. It is not the first time any of them has raised this. We hear it on a consistent basis. I acknowledge the distress that overcrowded emergency Departments cause to patients, their families and front-line staff working in very challenging conditions in hospitals throughout the country. The health sector is facing significant challenges in providing emergency care over the winter period while also managing the demands of Covid-…

I have to put on the record of the Dáil that HIQA is an independent body. I know from dealing with nursing homes, community nursing units and community hospitals throughout the country, and from any dealings I have had with HIQA, that it is an independent body. The 2018 health service capacity review was clear on the need for a major investment in additional capacity in both acute hospitals and the community, combined with a wide-scale reform of the manner and the location of where health services are provided. I w…

I thank Deputy Bruton for raising this important issue. I agree with what he has said. The recent rises in prices are driven by a number of factors and it is vital that all drivers of price increases are addressed. We have to make sure that we have, at least, transparent and competitive markets. The first point he made about consumers being informed of the renewal date is the most sensible thing I have heard in a long time because what happens is that people agree a deal with a service provider for 12 months but un…

I thank the Deputy. The comment he has made about being prepared represents a sensible approach. It will be welcome when this debate is being held in the Dáil. As we all know, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities provides a list of electricity and gas providers with some helpful hints and tips on switching. However, I am conscious that as Deputy Bruton mentioned in his opening statement, many older people are not tech-savvy, are not online and have not grown up in that environment, and therefore would find it…

I thank Senator Cassells so much for raising this issue in the Seanad. It is a hugely importantly issue. I have consistently sought the reinstatement of a national director for mental health post in the HSE since coming into my post a year and a half ago. The previous mental health strategy, A Vision for Change, recommended that a national mental health director be established under the leadership of a national director to prioritise the mental health agenda and to drive it centrally within the HSE. The important l…

The rationale provided at the time for the restructuring of these posts was to enhance integration. I have no problem with enhanced integration across care groups, which is of course required. We want to take the stigma away from mental health. I can understand the rationale. However, because of where we are today in 2022, there is an ongoing need for a dedicated focus on mental health strategy with national-level leadership within the HSE. It is vital to have this important post of HSE national director of mental …

I thank the Deputy for raising that issue. We have spoken about it previously. The Government has provided, both last year and this year, €666 million for home care. That is a phenomenal amount of money. It is a huge increase and is very welcome. In 2021, we managed to deliver 2.7 million more hours than in 2020, with 55,000 people receiving home care supports. My problem, at present, is not a financial issue, because I have the money to fund almost all the home care supports. The issue is the recruitment of staff.…

I thank Deputy Griffin for raising this important issue. I know that I have the support of everyone in the House in working to address the challenges throughout our mental health system, in particular those arising from the report on CAMHS in south Kerry. This is a priority for me and for the Government as a whole. As Members know, the report by Dr. Seán Maskey was published last Wednesday. Dr. Maskey is an independent consultant psychiatrist working out of Maudsley Hospital in London. I wish to put on the record o…

I would rather not comment on that individual case but I will check it out for the Deputy and see what is the position of the review of that young child's case. I offer my sincere condolences to the family. I can only imagine what it has been like for them in the intervening five months of waiting. The Deputy is quite right that we need confidence in CAMHS both in Kerry and all over the country. That is why I took a three-pronged approach in the audit. The first audit relates to compliance and the standard operatin…

I thank Deputy MacSharry for raising the matter of the recruitment of additional nurse specialists in neurology for Sligo University Hospital. The issue has come to the fore as part of a national campaign organised by the Neurological Alliance of Ireland. I could be standing where the Deputy is standing and raising the exact same issue about the south east. I compliment the alliance on bringing the challenges its members are facing to the fore. Neurology nurse specialists play an important role in triaging, assessi…

I appreciate the Deputy's contribution on the neurological service at Sligo University Hospital. I can read a script here and read out the commitment to the national clinical programme for neurology, to meeting the needs of patients, as illustrated by the proposed appointment of a third consultant neurologist to help fulfil the neurology care needs of the population of the north west, but it needs to be backed up, as the Deputy said, by the nurses. The commitment of the Government to the provision of quality health…

I thank all of the Deputies. I apologise for the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, who was not available this morning. I will start by acknowledging that this is an extremely difficult and stressful time for the workers of B. Braun and their families. The firm was a significant source of employment for Sligo and this news will have struck a heavy blow to the community there. I understand that the company made this decision as it found it difficult to continue to scale its specific manufacturing operations in Ireland …

I thank all the Deputies who intervened today. I very much share their concern about the impact of this announcement. In any area, the loss of 80 jobs is a massive blow to staff and the local community and will have knock-on effects on families. IDA Ireland and B. Braun will collaboratively seek a buyer for the company’s site. I am hopeful that, given its size and location, it will prove appealing to companies looking to locate or expand in our country. The Tánaiste has asked the IDA to keep him regularly updated o…

I thank Deputies Shortall and Murphy and their colleagues for tabling the motion. It is a welcome opportunity to discuss what is set out in it. The Deputy is quite right that every three minutes somebody gets that call. Unfortunately, mine was one of the families that got the call 15 months ago when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, he has come through it so far. I understand the issues the Deputies have raised and, to be honest, I am surprised we are here alone discussing this. I lost my father in …

The past two years have been hugely challenging for our public services, our health system and the people of Ireland. I would like to acknowledge the enormous and continuing contributions made by our health and social care staff in providing vital services across the country during the pandemic. As the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, outlined, the current outlook remains positive and the easing of the majority of restrictions is very welcome. We know, however, that the pandemic is not yet over. The highly transm…