Mattie McGrath: Criticises Children's Hospital Site and Waiting Lists
Deputy Mattie McGrath criticised the chosen children's hospital site and highlighted lengthy waits for disability and mental health services, citing specific statistics and a recent 50-hour wait for a paediatric psychiatrist. He called the site inaccessible and shameful and urged ministers to prioritise children on long waiting lists as Christmas approaches.
Waiting lists and statistics
At the end of September 2022 there were 16,158 children waiting for initial contact from disability services, with 8,870 of those waiting for over 12 months, McGrath said.
Hospital incident and child safety
He said that in the last week a child in South Teperary University Hospital presented with mental health difficulties and waited for a paediatric psychiatrist for 50 hours in the peace ward, an incident he described as shocking.
Critique of the hospital site
McGrath told the chamber that the chosen site for the children's hospital was the wrong site, not accessible and "shameful," saying "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." He warned that photo opportunities with ministers do little to help children who are waiting for supports and beds.
Government response and planned action
The minister responding acknowledged there are over 17,000 children on waiting lists, said 91 teams have been reconfigured nationwide in the past 12 months to clarify waiting numbers and time frames, and stated that a strategy is in place. The minister said children waiting over 12 months will be made a priority starting in January.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Minister, at the end of September 2022, there were 16,158 children waiting for their initial contact from disability services, with 8,870 of those waiting for over 12 months for their initial contact. The last week a child in South Teperary University Hospital presented with mental health difficulties and waited for a paediatric psychiatrist for 50 hours in the peace ward. That is shocking. All the while we have the children's hospital. How will she? And we come up to Christmas with children, we celebrate the holy season of Christmas and with children waiting. And children languishing for supports and for hospital beds and the ever-ending runaway train of the costs of the children's hospital inside the dark black hole. And most people in this chamber voted for that site. Total wrong site, not accessible and it'll never be. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and it's shameful. We might have photo ops with Minister Donnelly and Minister Madden out there. That's a little good to say children who are waiting. Minister Ann Rabbit, I think, is taking this. Thank you very much for raising that, Deputy. You are quite right. There is over 17,000 children waiting for their initial appointment. And you are also correct in the fact that in the last 12 months we have reconfigured 91 teams all over the country to ensure that we now actually know exactly how many children are on waiting list and what time frame. What has been put in place is what Minister Donnelly spoke already as well, that there is a strategy now in place to address it. So as all our long waiters, we will get every child under over 12 months looked after as priorities starting in January.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
