Long CAMHS waiting times cannot become the new normal for incoming government says Ward

Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward has outlined how the new government will be judged on their performance in youth mental health.

Ward was speaking after receiving a parliamentary question with the most up to date Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) waiting figures.

The Dublin Mid-West TD said “2025 is a new year and later this week we will likely have a new government; let me be clear from the outset that I think the reality of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael returning to government, being propped up by independents, is the worst outcome for people who are struggling with their mental health, particularly our young people.”

“In the last Dáil, I was selected to be the Sinn Féin spokesperson on mental health. I stated that I would work collaboratively with Minister Mary Butler. When we look at CAMHS figures in 2020 and compare them to today it is clear that she failed in her role.”

He pointed to the figures of the previous government surrounding mental health waiting list numbers and said he would continue to do so in the next Dáil term.

He noted that when the previous government was formed in June 2020 young people waiting for first time appointments stood at 2115; the same figure stands at 3833, an increase of 81%.

“When we look at young people waiting more than a year, this figure has increased by 145% from 223 to 546,” he noted.

“The last government utterly failed children with mental health difficulties; while the recent figure will be the new barometer for the incoming government, we cannot forget where these numbers used to be.”

“Nothing in the programme for government is going to give confidence to young people and their families that things will improve,” he said.

“We have to remember that the reform of the Mental Health Act 2001 was included in the previous programme for government and they failed to achieve this despite having the length of time that they did.

“The regulation of CAMHS could have been achieved in the last Dáil and will be the bare minimum for this new Dáil.”

“I have always said that behind each of these statistics is a child with hopes and dreams, and if this government continues to fail in mental health, then more children will be left behind. This cannot happen.”