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12
September 2003
Press Statement
Irish
College Concerned about
Inpatient Services for Children and Adolescents
The first
report of the Working Group on Child and Adolescent Psychiatric
Services was completed in February 2001. This Working Group examined,
inter alia, the need for inpatient services for children and adolescents
up to 16th birthday. The Department of Health and Children
accepted this service need in full in the ‘Quality and Fairness’
health strategy document published the same year.
The Working
Group Report recommended the provision of 52 beds in the Eastern
Regional Health Authority and 92 beds in 5 units for the remainder
of the country. Currently there are approximately 8 beds in the
Eastern Regional Health Authority and 12 beds in the Western Health
Board. In both cases priority is given to patients within their
own Board regions. Six Health Boards have no in-patient provision.
In a letter
to Minister Micheal Martin the Irish College of Psychiatrists
said "To date a number of Health Boards have plans to develop
in-patient psychiatric units for children and adolescents. Regrettably
none of these plans have secured funding. The Irish College of
Psychiatrists is extremely concerned at the lack of progress in
this regard. Seriously mentally ill young people are not receiving
the intensive treatment required to adequately and promptly remediate
their illness, thus prolonging the suffering for child and family
and impacting negatively on the child’s prognosis and quality
of life".
The letter
went on to stress, "There is a need for immediate, interim
and long term provisions with immediate and interim plans being
implemented. There is no blueprint for implementation of the recommendations.
This must start now as children’s lives and quality of life
is at risk. Co-ordination of in-patient services is required so
that access is for the most clinically needy, not just dependant
on where the child resides".
The Irish College
of Psychiatrists has requested a meeting on this crucially important
issue with the Department of Health and Children - as a matter
of urgency.
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