Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson Deputy Pearse Doherty has branded as ‘deplorable’ confirmation received from the HSE that there are over 120 children awaiting psychological assessment in the county, five of whom have been on waiting lists since 2014.
Deputy Doherty has also criticised official HSE figures which show that, despite the backlog, the total number of appointments provided by the service are down month for month since March compared to the same months last year.
Deputy Doherty said; “As and from the end of June this year, there were a total of 120 children on waiting lists for a psychological assessment here in Donegal.
“While the majority of these referrals were made in 2016, there are currently 22 children who have been on the waiting list since last year, while more worryingly a further five children have been awaiting assessment since 2014.
“What this means is that children who’ve been deemed to require more specialist treatment and have been referred to the service due to the seriousness of their condition, have been left with no appointment for up to two years – that is simply deplorable by any standards.
Deputy Pearse Doherty
“Furthermore, the latest data on appointment numbers too makes for bleak reading.
“Since March of this year, the number of appointments which have been provided to children accessing the service has fallen when compared to the same months in 2015.
“If we look at March to the end of June, there were 256 fewer appointments provided by Donegal Child Psychology services than there were in the same period last year.
“Clearly, serious questions are beginning to emerge about youth and adolescence mental health services in the county as well as its ability to meet the needs of patients here.
“In June, following concerns raised surrounding the service, I was forced to raise with the Minister in the Dáil that there were no addiction counselling services for under 18s anywhere in Donegal due to the vacating of a local counselling post, this despite the fact that the HSE knew for weeks that the post would become vacant prior to this departure.
“And while I have been informed by the HSE that a recruitment process to fill this vacancy is underway, I’ve been given no indication as to when this process will be formally completed, nor have I received any detailed information in relation to the provisional measures for service provision during the interim.
“These failings are simply not good enough, particularly when vulnerable young people are involved. This is why I intend to use the return of the Dáil next month to further raise these issues with the Minister where I’ll be asking him what action he’ll be taking to address them.”
