Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is important to put some balance on the discussion. In 2020 and 2021, there were 33% more referrals to CAMHS. I have to build confidence in CAMHS and, as the Deputy conceded, a great deal of really good work is going on. Approximately 21% more children were seen during that period and that was at a very distressing time during Covid. Last year alone, CAMHS teams allocated 225,000 appointments to people under 18 throughout the country. A huge amount of very good work is going on. A new mental health office is being led by Dr. Donan Kelly, who took up the post on 1 September, and for the first time ever, there is a clinical lead doctor, Dr. Amanda Burke, who has 30 years' experience of working in CAMHS. With that dedicated focus in the HSE, we can now try to address the waiting list once and for all.

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