URGENT investment is needed to improve mental health supports for children in Bandon and across West Cork, Cllr Ann Bambury warned.

Cllr Bambury (SD) said families are being left to navigate an increasingly overstretched and under-resourced system.

She pointed to growing waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), noting that 351 children and adolescents across the HSE South West region have been waiting more than 12 months for appointments, while a total of 1,054 young people remain on CAMHS waiting lists.

Speaking at a recent HSE South West Forum meeting, Cllr Bambury said the reality facing many people was ‘becoming increasingly difficult and, in many cases, heart-breaking’ as long waiting lists and limited access to services continue to impact children, young people and adults across the region.

Highlighting concerns raised by frontline workers, she described how vulnerable individuals often struggled to access timely support, with calls and emails to mental health services frequently going unanswered or delayed.

In one instance, a key worker reported that a person looking for help was advised to contact the Samaritans. 

While acknowledging the valuable role played by voluntary organisations, Cllr Bambury stressed that they ‘were never intended to replace professional mental health interventions or the responsibility of our health service to provide appropriate care’.

She warned that delays in accessing assessments, therapies and interventions could have lasting consequences for children and families, leading to worsening mental health difficulties, educational challenges and increased pressure on parents and carers.

Cllr Bambury also called for greater investment in primary care psychology, community mental health services and family supports.

She urged the HSE to maximise the use of existing Primary Healthcare Centres by expanding community-based services to operate seven days a week.

She pointed out that most, if not all, of the newly built Primary Healthcare Centres were leased by the HSE.

‘We must and should be getting value for money, public funds are paying for these premises so they realistically should be operational seven days a week,’ Cllr Bambury said.

‘The people of Bandon and West Cork deserve better,’ she added, describing mental health care as an essential service that should be accessible, timely and compassionate for all who needed it.

In its response to the councillor’s motion, the HSE acknowledged the concerns raised, especially around access for CAMHS, primary care psychology services, and community-based interventions. R

ecruitment initiatives and service development measures continued to be progressed in line with available resources and national service priorities, the HSE said.

‘The HSE recognises the importance of reducing waiting times for children and adolescents seeking mental health assessment and intervention,’ said Priscilla Lynch, the HSE’s IHA Manager Cork South and West.’

She added: ‘In relation to the proposal to facilitate seven-day-a-week access to Primary Healthcare Centres for community support services, it should be noted that the operation of services on a seven-day basis would require significant additional resourcing, including staffing, operational funding, security, maintenance and governance supports.’ Any expansion of access arrangements would need to be considered within the context of available resources, service demand, operational feasibility and broader regional planning priorities, the HSE said.