Mattie McGrath: Demands 25 Long-Stay Mental Health Beds for Tipperary

The whole situation around mental health services in Tipperary is a very, very serious issue. Indeed, it had been a serious issue all along prior to COVID. I want to wish your new minister, Deputy Mary Butler, the very, very best, a very good appointment. I look forward to engaging and working with her. And indeed, she has agreed to a request from Deputy Cahill and myself to come and visit Clonbell. We have not one single mental health long-stay bed in Tipperary. Vision for Change was a disaster. We lost our wonderful St. Michael's, which was in the queue, which was many, many people used it for decades. It was closed. Last Minister for Mental Health, Minister Daly, acknowledged that it was a mistake. He admitted, and his officials now admit, that we have a deficit of 25 long-stay mental health beds in Tipperary alone. And Kilkenny just hasn't space for us, hasn't room for us. They have to cover the whole South East. I want to salute the volunteers in Clonbell and the people that are picking up the flag. And the Tipperary fight for mental health services. June and all her team at River Shure Patrol. A fellow Michael Toomey, who will be meeting Minister Butler. She's agreed to meet him. Joe Leahy and all his team at Seesaw. And there are volunteers doing the work and the support that ordinary people, that the services should be providing. This is not fair. It's not right. This COVID has put a massive pressure on people, people's mental health and people's lives. So, Taoiseach, we need action. Words anymore can't, won't suffice. And as I said, we need those beds. We need our crisis house to be expanded. We're waiting for that as well. And we need a specialist nurse to be appointed on 24-7 basis at the A&E that can assess patients that present with mental health difficulties and that want to, you know, admittance. Many have been sent home. And sadly, many have died. Outside of Dublin, Tipperary is the highest issue of suicides with mental health issues. And that is an appalling vista at this time in our country. Clonbell, unfortunately, is the highest within the county. It's just unacceptable. People are crying out for help. Volunteers and families are trying to support. But there are no services that have been turned away. I had a case last weekend where a person was sent around from Billy to Jack and could go on over, sent home again, threatening to self-harm. Her family hugely upset. And he was just quiet about that. So, we need those beds. But overall, we need, Vision for Change, I know, has been replaced now, three years out of date. But it didn't, it gave us no change or no hope in Tipperary. It was a failure. And we need those beds. It's acknowledged by the Minister, the Foreign Minister Daly and the HSC officials that those beds are a deficit of those beds. But we need them now. We could find 600,000 recently for COVID to do up St. Michael's. They refused pint blank to allow patients back into it or to have even a space there. One room for people that were presenting to the Jason and St. Joseph's Hospital with mental health crisis to be in there. Now it's kitted out for COVID. Thankfully, and hopefully it won't be used. We accept that. We acknowledge good work done there. But we, this must be kept open. What is proved now is whether there's a will, there's a way. The money was found to open it for COVID. We must have that facility reopened. The 25 beds that have been, 25 to 30 beds that have been prepared there on sweet rooms must be used to treat the people of Tipperary, West Waterford. It must be used because they need those services and they can't have the terrible situation of suicides. Too many families, too many lives have been lost. Taoiseach, please. Touching anybody? We're on. I didn't go near it. That's my point. I would thank the Deputy for raising what is a very serious issue in terms of mental health services in general and in terms of specifically in Clonmel and in Tipperary. And I think there are two dimensions to the mental health services. One, obviously, is physical facilities, acute capacity, in other words, acute beds in particular facilities. And I know the South East in general and Tipperary have been short of acute capacity and mental health for quite some time. The other aspect of it, of course, is securing the necessary personnel and staff to provide the services once you have the facility. And it seems to me, having worked in the area and been engaging with previous ministers and the HSE, that there seems to have been a significant challenge in terms of recruiting and securing qualified personnel. And I think I welcome the fact that you've already had an engagement with Minister Mary Butler in relation to this. I have no doubt that she will respond diligently to the points that you and all your colleagues in Tipperary have in relation to this. Now, in terms of St. Michael's, I think you have said that the physical improvements have happened. I think that we will have to ensure that we can get the right personnel in place and recruit the professionals. But in addition to that, I think we must also work with non-governmental organizations, the NGOs, some of whom you've described, who can help in providing services to people who are on waiting lists for far too long in terms of getting access to very basic mental health services. I'm particularly conscious that COVID-19 will create additional burdens in terms of mental health need. And many people, you know, it will have an impact on many, many people. And I think that's something we need to improve our services to respond to. So I have heard what you've had to say. I know that yourself and Deputy Cahill, I believe, are meeting with the Minister. And I'll certainly work with the Minister as well to see what we can do specifically to try and improve the situation in Tipperary. Thank you, Taoiseach. Deputy McGrath. Goed ma'am. Goed ma'am. Taoiseach, I thank you for your reply and response. I'm asking you, have you the will to find a way? It has been a failure since Vision for Change. A mental health crisis 24-7 nurse was appointed, was recruited, but didn't get the go-ahead because of the embargo on mental health places. This embargo is not fair when people are losing their lives. It's just shocking. It has been transformed now for COVID, the St. Michael's Hospital. It can't be allowed. And I believe the people of the county won't allow it be closed when COVID passes. We have to have those beds used. And we have to have the staff and the qualified personnel that are there. Because the community service that were promised, the Rolls-Royce service that were promised when we closed St. Michael's as part of Vision for Change hasn't got into gear. And we've lost too many lives and too many families have been distraught and devastation and havoc. So we have much more pressure on people now, financially, business people and everybody with the COVID and with the crisis situation. So we need those beds and we need for you and your Minister to find a way and have the will to find it. Goed ma'am. Goed ma'am. Taoiseach, please. Yeah, first of all, I do have the will to deal with this issue. And secondly, as I said, the Minister will work with you in relation to this. But I also say to you that every region needs an acute capacity. But don't underestimate the importance of strong community-based mental health as well. In my view, you need the continuum. And I think the better and the stronger the community health presence is, the less the need for acute admissions. And I can recall a long time ago meeting with the services in Monaghan, for example, which was at that stage one of the leaders in terms of developing the non-acute side of mental health services. And it is extremely important that we've developed both in tandem because one has a direct impact on the other. And I take your points. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.