REPORT SHOWS CHILDREN BEING SENT TO ADULT PSYCHIATRIC UNITS IN THE SOUTH EAST
Children from County Wexford and other parts of the South East region are still being admitted to the adult unit of the department of psychiatry at Waterford Regional Hospital.
That’s despite rules introduced to end the practice more than two years ago.
The practice of admitting children to adult psychiatric units is understood to be continuing not only in the South East but also in other parts of the state – that’s despite an increase in the number of specialist inpatient beds for children and adolescents.
The latest inspection report by the Mental Health Commission states that mental health services in the Wexford and Waterford catchment area were delivered by three teams across the region.
However, there was no on-call service available which meant children who attended after hours were either seen by teams who specialise in treating adults or older people.
The report also found access to inpatient beds for children in the South East was “extremely difficult” and there was no access to an emergency bed for one child in crisis.
