Deputy Pearse Doherty has slammed the latest waiting times figures for minors requiring psychiatric treatment in Donegal after it was revealed that some children are facing waits of more than 15 months to receive an appointment with a Psychiatrist.
The figures show that there are currently 129 minors waiting for an appointment with Donegal Mental Health Services Psychiatrists, eight of whom have been on the list for more than 15 months.
Describing the figures as ‘appalling’, Deputy Doherty said “Following having been contacted by constituents in relation to Psychiatry services in the county, I immediately decided to raise the issue of waiting times, psychiatric support services following patient discharge, as well as other mental health services in Donegal with the Minister.
“I have now been provided with the latest data in respect of patient waiting times for appointments with the service’s Psychiatrist and the figures clearly highlight that there are major issues in the processing of referrals, particularly in relation to services for those under the age of 18.
“There are a total of 134 adults on the waiting list to be seen by a Psychiatrist in the county however all of these patients have been waiting for at most 12 months, the majority of whom have been on the waiting for less than three months in total.
“However, when we look at waiting times figures for children the picture is much worse. There are a total of 129 minors waiting for an appointment with a Psychiatrist however, four of these have been on the waiting list for over a year now while eight children have been on the list for longer than 15 months in total.
“The fact that vulnerable young people who require Psychiatric support are being forced to wait for such lengthy periods is simply appalling and clearly demonstrates that the service is not in a position to handle its work load in a timely manner.
“A number of months ago I raised the issue of the vacancy of the Addiction Counsellor within Under 18s and Adolescence Addiction services in Donegal, and here again is yet another example of how our young people in this county are being let down by the authorities due to the mismanagement of health service provisions.”
“The staff, Consultant Psychiatrists and indeed all the team working within the service carry out outstanding work to keep the service functioning and to treat patients however, the problem is that they are working under extreme pressures due to the service being under resourced.
“Clearly something needs to be done in order to alleviate this problem and make mental health services fit for purpose. I am now awaiting figures from the Minister in relation to the number of Psychiatrists working within the county as I believe that attention must now be drawn to the need to address the obvious deficiencies which exist within Donegal Mental Health Services.”
