Over half of all HSE permanent consultant psychiatrist posts in the South East’s Mental Health Services unfilled

• 21 permanent consultant psychiatrist posts are either empty or only temporarily filled across the region
• IHCA data confirms damaging impact of consultant retention and recruitment crisis on region’s mental health services

Almost half of all the HSE’s permanent consultant psychiatrist posts in the South East Mental Health are either empty or temporarily filled, new data has revealed.

The data was released by the Irish Hospital Consultants Association and relates to the HSE’s Community Health Organisation (CHO) Area 5, covering Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and South Tipperary.

These posts have been allocated by the HSE to meet the needs of patients seeking to access mental health services through the public health system. However, the HSE, due to the ongoing consultant recruitment and retention crisis, has struggled to fill them.

However, according to the IHCA a review of these 21 posts reveals that:

• 5 of these posts are empty;
• 11 are filled by agency consultants;
• 4 are consultants on temporary contracts, with these four also not on the specialist register which means they do not have specialist training required to fulfil these roles;
• In addition, of the total nine child and adolescent consultant posts, 2.5 of these posts are unfilled.

Information published by the HSE covering the period, 1 January to 1 March 2019, on the number of children and adolescents waiting to access mental health services across the HSE’s CHO  1 (covering counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and South Tipperary) shows that there were 226 children and adolescents waiting for such services.  

The lack of available psychiatrists to treat patients is restricting timely access to much needed services for patients with mental health difficulties and adding to the long wait times experienced by patients in the South East.

The number of unfilled psychiatric consultant posts was revealed as part of the IHCA’s #CARECANTWAIT twitter campaign, which seeks to highlight the impact of long waiting times on patients across Ireland.

The Government’s National Mental Health Plan, ‘A Vision for Change’ was first published 13 years ago, in 2006. It set out a blueprint for the delivery of these services, yet staffing remain hugely under resourced, with many positions unfilled.

The HSE’s own Mental Health Services Workforce Planning Report (October 2018) confirms this deficit of resources.

Nationally, child and adolescent services have about 50% of the specialist staff they need, this is also the case for older people’s mental health services, while adult services have 25% less than is needed.

Currently, there are over 6,000 adults and children who have been referred to mental health services since the start of 2019, but who are still awaiting an appointment.

IHCA President, Dr. Donal O'Hanlon, Consultant Psychiatrist commenting on the situation in the South East warned:

“There is a consultant shortage right across Ireland and in almost every speciality, with one in five of all consultant posts empty or only temporarily filled.  

“However, the vacuum these shortages create are stark in mental health services in the South East. The fact that over 20 consultant psychiatric posts are empty or only temporarily filled tells its’ own story about the extent of the crisis.

“I have no doubt that the temporary or agency consultants who are occupying these positions are dedicated, hard-working professionals - but they are merely papering the cracks in the system,” warned Dr. O’Hanlon.

“Patients, particularly those with mental health difficulties need consistency in the professionals who are treating them rather than a revolving door of ever-changing consultants. This is not good for patient care.

“Ireland has the lowest number of consultants in the EU, yet we train the highest number of doctors in the world. However, hundreds have left in recent years for better working conditions and pay across the globe.

“The solution lies in the Minister for Health Simon Harris working with representative bodies, such as the IHCA, to improve the working conditions and pay for consultants, especially younger consultants, to bring them back to Ireland. The situation in mental health services in the South East highlights the urgency with which the consultant shortage needs to be addressed,” added Dr. O’Hanlon.

Public, patients and other stakeholders can follow the campaign and add their voices via Twitter by following #CARECANTWAIT and through the IHCA website www.ihca.ie.

Support the IHCA campaign at: #CARECANTWAIT.

ENDS.

Link to #CARECANTWAIT video featuring Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Selena Pillay:

https://vimeo.com/347563438/fbeac3d26a

For further information, contact:

Danny Hanly |danny@pr360.ie | 01 637 1777 | 086 175 9286