North west CAMHS staff numbers continue to fall

It’s emerged that the north west has seen a decrease in the number of staff working in child and adolescent mental health teams. Figures released to Wicklow-Wexford Deputy Malcolm Byrne show that staff numbers at CHO 1 fell from 90 at the end of 2023 to 84 last December. Nationally, waiting lists continue to rise with over 3,700 children in the queue in 2023, with the figure rising to over 4,200 at the end of last year. Local Fine Gael Councillor Thomas Walsh says while figures are not surprising, questions remain over the suitability of the service in its current state: