The delivery of mental health services in the South East remains in crisis particularly in relation to the CAMHS Service, in the week following the resignations of three Psychiatrists from the Public Health Service in County Wexford

 

In an attempt to gain clarification for the people of County Wexford, on our initial enquiry to the Department of Health for a statement of their position, who interestingly did not provide one to us, WexfordToday.com were then referred directly to the HSE for their comment on the situation.

WexfordToday.com requested a comprehensive response to the developments which have an acute impact on our local services provision.

Senior Psychiatrist Dr. Kieran Moore, one of the psychiatrists who resigned, has called it “a national emergency” and referred to staff who were “burnt out”.

We also asked for their position on the three resignations in recent days, due to the unsafe conditions and the adverse professional parameters in which they have been forced to operate an almost non-existent and increasingly under-funded service suffering adverse challenge at the present time across County Wexford.

Later that day we received the following Media Statement from the HSE Media Relations Communications Unit of the HSE South East Community Healthcare (CHO 5) based in St. Otteran’s Hospital, Waterford on Friday late-afternoon, 15^th June last, which follows:

 

“The HSE’s South East Community Healthcare services wish to assure the public that it is there to care and provide support, has dedicated teams of professionals in place and that the welfare of patients, clients, service users and their families is paramount.

The HSE is committed to maintaining all Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in counties Waterford and Wexford and is working to address the filling of any vacancies in these services.

The HSE’s CAMHS are organised in Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs). These MDTs include Consultant Psychiatrists, Junior Doctors, Psychologists, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Dieticians and Social Care Workers.

The HSE is currently operating a national and international recruitment campaign for Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists. This resource will be drawn on to fill positions on a permanent basis in the Waterford and Wexford areas. Among additional options being looked at are vacancies being filled on an interim or temporary basis, inclusive of the possibility of utilising Consultant Psychiatrists from neighbouring HSE Community Healthcare services. (ends)”

 

It seems the quality of mental health service provision remains in severe jeopardy for Wexford and has suffered irreparable detriment to date resulting in the clear signal of a no-confidence motion by its senior psychiatrists.

Further, they have been so severely compromised in their professional deployment of a suitable service to adequately cater for the children and adolescent cases under their remit.

They cannot legitimately stand over the present service provision.

Why are our Wexford public representatives and those throughout the South East continuing to preside over the above which has been labeled as “a national emergency”?

Why is it continuing to happen as one scandal after the other continues to emerge in relation to the HSE. 

Ask any local charity about the lengths that they have to go to in order to pick up the slack and who continue to serve and support their county with unstinting determination and make considerable and consistent efforts to look after those neglected by our “mental health services”.

You, the people of Wexford, take your parts in supporting our charities who fundraise for mental health support also as we, each and every one of us, continue to strive to look after our own by supporting their almost weekly-held events financially and share our skills and enthusiasm on a voluntary basis across the communities of County Wexford. 

Aren’t we all “run” out so to speak?

It’s never enough. It’s not good enough.  How much longer will we continue to hear the horrific tales of suffering of those rendered completely vulnerable by a government who continue to let us down in so many ways?

How can the Department of Health preside over these latest circumstances? When will they finally stand up for the rights of children in deed and in fact. Paying lip-service to children’s rights is not good enough.  Such politicking continues to fail us as a society and a people.    

It is clear that the above statement, iterated variously already in several contexts over the past week doesn’t go to any length to even address the current crisis which is a very sad indictment of the Department of Health.