Galway Bay fm newsroom - Galway West TD Mairéad Farrell has called on the government to immediately support emergency departments in hospitals with the appropriate resources for people presenting with self-harm.
It comes as figures obtained by Sinn Féin show over 5,400 people presented to 15 hospitals with incidents of self-harm in 2020.
Deputy Farrell argues no services currently meet the minimum level of liaison psychiatrists required.
Liaison psychiatry services provide specialist medical expertise to manage conditions that occur in areas overlapping mental and physical healthcare, and are delivered in general or acute hospital settings.
Deputy Farrell argues that while such services are available in all acute hospitals in Ireland that have an emergency department, no services currently meet the minimum level of staffing as per 'A Vision for Change'.
She says it's crucial to have appropriate mental health services available so that people can access the care they need when they need it and where they need it.
