TD calls for more psychiatric nurses and counsellors

The Dáil heard last week that local GPs have serious concerns in relation to the provision of mental health services in North Tipperary. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar was told that there are issues with retaining trained professionals in two consultant positions due to a lack of team supports that are essential to ensure that proper services are provided to those in need locally. Deputy Jackie Cahill was highlighting the concerning situation following conversations with local GPs earlier in the week.

The Fianna Fáil TD called on the Tánaiste to ensure that mental health services locally are properly resourced so that North Tipperary can hold onto the consultants that it has. There must be an end to the post-code lottery system that patients across the country are currently seeing, with North Tipperary not faring as well as other areas, according to the Thurles man.

Speaking on this in the Dáil late last week, Cahill said: “We have three mental health clinics in North Tipperary in Thurles, Nenagh and Roscrea. I have been contacted by a number of GPs locally in the last week who are extremely frustrated about the lack of resources they have.

“We have two consultants assigned to the area but to retain those consultants is virtually impossible because of the lack of teams that they have behind them.

The Tipperary Fianna Fáil TD then continued to detail where mental health services in North Tipperary are falling shout of essential resources saying: “We need psychiatric nurses. We need counsellors. We need psychologists. Without these backup teams for the consultants, these mental health clinics are not going to work efficiently.

“I would ask you, Tánaiste, to ensure that the HSE provide enough resources for the mental health clinics in North Tipperary to work efficiently."