Cork East TD tells Dáil about mental health care failings

A Cork TD has criticised commitments in the programme for government to address “a longstanding and worsening crisis” in primary care mental health services for young people, saying a constituent of his was told recently to expect an appointment in October 2030.

Social Democrats Cork East TD Liam Quaide said in the Dáil: “There are some vague references to workforce planning and increasing capacity for child and adolescent mental health services in the programme for government, but no mention of the main roadblock that has been placed in front of the resourcing of those services — and that is the pay and numbers strategy.

“The official recruitment embargo was lifted in July 2024. However, the Department of Health then introduced the pay and numbers strategy, which is proving to be, in some cases, as restrictive to recruitment of essential staff as the embargo itself.”

Mr Quaide said the strategy — “a very crude instrument to address HSE budget overruns that will not only cause harm to patients but will also greatly reduce staff morale and will likely impact on retention of staff” — had been roundly criticised by unions and led to recent industrial action. He highlighted the fact that more than 5,000 young people were waiting for an appointment in Cork and Kerry last June, including 105 waiting for four to five years.

“The primary care psychology services in Cork had been severely under-resourced for many years,” he said.

“Also, the rollout of Progressing Disabilities had meant large volumes of referrals were redirected to primary care services. There was no commensurate increase in staffing levels in Cork at the time. Cork primary care psychology services had a fraction of required staff long before either the official or the pay and numbers strategy were introduced.”

He said it was not until October and November that frontline psychology recruitment for primary care in Cork began, and it was “still nowhere near meeting the level of need within those services”.

“Recent briefings from the HSE and from our regional health officer, Dr Andy Phillips, suggest that they intend to address crisis waiting lists by redeploying psychologists from services that are in a relatively healthy state.

“In other words, robbing Peter to pay Paul in order to adhere to the regressive and nonsensical pay and numbers strategy.

“A constituent of mine was recently told in a service statement from primary care services in Cork that her child would be offered a service in October 2030 — five years and nine months from now.”

He asked the Government to undertake a comprehensive recruitment drive for primary care services in Cork rather than taking psychologists from elsewhere, and to heed the warnings of unions about the pay and numbers strategy.