No moves made on Tipperary's mental health services, says committee

The committee of Tipperary’s Fight for Mental Health Services says that nothing has changed since its formation two and-a-half years ago, despite two public marches and a public meeting held during that time.

“There has been no progress on beds and there has been no progress on non-existing services that were promised to us”, the committee has said in a statement.

“We welcome the Jigsaw project (the national centre for youth mental health) coming to Tipperary but we would like to highlight that this will not be the be-all and end-all of the problems; Jigsaw caters for 12 to 25 year-olds and we must also remember people over that age. 

“As of yet we still don’t know the full extent of what services will be available to Tipperary with regards to times, days and how the service will be rolled out”.

With regard to beds for mental health services, the committee says previous governments and the candidates who represented Tipperary people “have failed each and every one of us in getting acute and crisis beds back to Tipperary”. 

They say that committee members met with outgoing Minister of state for Mental Health Jim Daly, who told them that they would not see beds in Tipperary.

“The committee of Tipperary’s Fight For Mental Health Services acknowledge the great work of all frontline staff for mental health services in Tipperary, who do amazing work. 

“And also we must not forget the staff who work in Ennis and Kilkenny psychiatric units that serve our county, and as a committee we stand with you all in these difficult times on services that you have to deliver to people who are either six or eighty six”.

The committee also asked all the general election candidates who ran on a mental health platform if they had put the work into running on a platform such as mental health in good conscience.

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