Mental health services remain severely understaffed
Mental health services need an extra 2,000 staff to function properly.
That is the claim from Fianna Fáil who say the HSE has failed to spend any of an extra €15m earmarked for boosting staff numbers.
New figures show only 93 extra staff have been hired so far this year.
Some 5,954 children were waiting for a primary care psychology appointment June end 2017, of which 1,784 are waiting over a year.
James Browne, Fianna Fáil Mental Health Spokesperson said: “This has a very real impact on the most painfully vulnerable people in our society.”
“We’re seeing in the psychological services some children waiting for over three years for a first appointment,” he added.
