Independent TD for Wexford, Verona Murphy, has expressed her ongoing concerns at the disturbingly low rate of acceptance of referrals to CAMHS Wexford South.
Speaking from New Ross, the Independent TD said “The referral acceptance rate in CAMHS Wexford South for 2023 was 40%. This is down from an acceptance rate of 59% in both 2020 and 2021. I have raised this issue on the Dail floor but nothing is changing it seems. I am being contacted weekly by families and GPs who are literally pulling their hair out in their efforts to have children accepted to the services. Only this week, I have had 2 families who have had refusals to their children’s referrals. It is being intimated to me by constituents & medical professionals that by CAMHS not accepting the referrals is serving only to prevent children being placed on waiting lists, thereby massaging figures which for many is now being seen as a deliberate strategy to distort the reality of the childhood mental health crisis we are in and government seem to just want to bury their heads in the sand about it. It is just somewhat unbelievable what is happening”.
Continuing, Deputy Murphy said “ following a series of parliamentary questions last week, I received responses detailing the number of referrals for support services to Wexford CAMHS awaiting assessment in February 2024 is 97. Going by the Wexford South acceptance rate, close on 60 of these children will be refused mental health care with CAMHS. These referrals from GPs and private assessments are not being mad on a whim, these children are experiencing and living with gravely concerning mental health difficulties and their families are crying out for help in fear of what actions their children may take. It is , in a form, negligence of care and must be addressed. That may involve the need for a review of the nationally agreed CAMHS operations guidelines because it is evidently clear that these guidelines are failing the children and families of County Wexford”.
Concluding, the Independent Deputy said, “County Wexford currently has one serving Junior Minister, as well as a TD and a Senator who are all members of Government parties yet mental health services in the County are in tatters. As a member of opposition, I can bring the issue to the attention of the people, and I can bring it to the Dail floor, but it is the Government representatives who are currently in a position to bring the services up to what they should be. It is not good enough, the people of Wexford deserve more, and I would encourage everyone to make contact with those three Government representatives and demand that Mental Health services in County Wexford warrant what children adults and families need and deserve”.
