Clarke labels CAMHS waiting list increase "a disgrace"

Sinn Féin TD for Longford-Westmeath, Sorca Clarke, has described the increase in waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) first time appointments under this Government as "a disgrace".

“In July 2020, there were 2112 children waiting on first time appointments with CAMHS, 747 of those children had been waiting for over a year.

“As of April 2025, the number has increased to 4554 children, with over 760 children waiting over a year for a first time appointment with CAMHS.

“This is an eyewatering increase of over 200% in the children who are waiting on a first time appointment.

“118 of those children are in my own health region - Dublin and Midlands.

“They are not just numbers, they are children with moderate to severe mental health needs, who are in distress.

“Families are at their wits end wondering if help will ever arrive.

“The mental health system is a system bottlenecked by underinvestment and neglect.

“What is happening right now is a complete betrayal of our children’s right to mental health care, and this government is failing to act with the necessary level of urgency.

“I am calling on Government to take immediate action to ensure the children who have been waiting to be seen for over a year are not left waiting any longer," Teachta Clarke said.