According to the latest HSE Performance Report, 95 children were initially admitted to an adult unit in 2015 and of these, nine or 9.5 per cent were aged 16 or younger.
The HSE Performance Report for December 2015 revealed that overall 356 children required inpatient care in 2015 and of these, 261 or 73.3 per cent were admitted to a child and adolescent mental health unit and 95 or 26.7 per cent were admitted to an adult unit. The proportion of children admitted to adult units has decreased by approximately 5 per cent since the end of 2013.
The figures also reveal that there has been an increase in the number of children and young people receiving acute inpatient mental health care with the numbers increasing from 290 in 2014 to 356 last year.
The Director of Mental Health Reform Dr Shari McDaid said, “These new figures serve to underline why mental health services need the urgent attention of government. At a time when all parties are negotiating the formation of the next government, Mental Health Reform would urge all those involved to ensure the provision of mental health services is prioritised in the new Programme for Government.”