1,635 children in Ireland wait more than a year for a psychology appointment

1,635 children in Ireland have waited more than a year for a psychology appointment.

New figures given to Fianna Fáil Mental Health Spokesperson James Browne show that many children spent all of last year waiting for a primary care psychology appointment. The figures also showed that there were 6,181 children waiting for a mental health based appointment at the end of January this year. Browne has said that the HSE needs to do "better by these children." He said:

“To have over a quarter of these children waiting for an appointment for more than a year is just not right. "Time is of the essence when dealing with vulnerable children and teenagers. The state and the HSE have a duty to do better by these children."

While the figures of those waiting vary from county to county, Cork appears to be the worst affected for those on waiting lists. According to Browne, Cork has some 466 children waiting for more than a year for an appointment. He said "renewed efforts" need to be made to tackle the severity of these waiting lists. "Such deficiencies in mental health services for children cannot be allowed to continue," he said.