College President Dr Lorcan Martin spoke with the Irish Examiner about how the underfunding and under-resourcing of psychiatrists around the country has led to a shortage of forensic psychiatrists able to offer their expertise in criminal cases. According to solicitors, this has led to a six-month backlog in trials.
Read the article in the Irish Examiner here, and read a highlight featuring Dr Martin below.
President of the College of Psychiatrists Lorcan Martin said “the perennial underfunding and under-resourcing of mental health services in Ireland has, among other issues, led to an undersupply of psychiatric doctors, including forensic psychiatrists, whose input and expertise can be critically important for certain court cases”.
He said the undersupply “means that many doctors are overworked in their day jobs and in many cases do not have the time for the administrative and practical work that accompanies each caseload for the courts”.
“We also need 835 consultant psychiatrists by 2030, which would be an increase of approximately 350 based on current figures.”
