Teens aged 16 and 17 in mental distress will have to attend an adult A&E instead of new children's hospital, committee hears
However, the cut-off point for children's hospitals is 16, which means those aged 16 and 17, who are in mental suffering, must go to an adult accident and emergency department where there is no child and adolescent mental health service, he added.
'If they need medical intervention they must go to an adult emergency department,' he added, calling for change.
'We are about to open a new national children's hospital and it is time for the ages to be aligned,' he said.
He was speaking as the committee heard from psychiatrists, Mental Health Reform and the Mental Health Commission to give their views on the new Mental Health Bill 2024 which is aiming to update the law around the care and treatment of patients.
Philip Watt, interim chief executive of Mental Health Reform and Stephen Sheil, interim communications and engagement manager said it saw the Bill as a "significant opportunity, a once-in-a-generation chance to modernise our mental health legislation and bring it into line with human rights standards, including Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities."
However, they said that it needs to be strengthened in different areas and "we are concerned that the Bill does not yet prohibit the admission of children to adult psychiatric units, which has been widely acknowledged as inappropriate and harmful'.
"We recommend that the legislation include a clear statutory prohibition, which would reinforce the obligation to invest in appropriate child and adolescent services."
Five children were admitted to adult psychiatric hospitals last year.
Prof Sadlier said he was aware of a case where a teenager has to stay in an adult emergency department for a week . He is not in favour of a total ban on admitting children to adult psychiatric units.
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A number of amendments have been put forward to the proposed legislation.
Asked by Labour party spokeswoman on health deputy Marie Sherlock what the view of psychiatrists is to the amendments around the care of involuntary patients psychiatrist Prof Brendan Kelly said they led to some improvements.
However, he still had concerns about the criteria for involuntary admission which states that admission is 'immediately necessary for the protection of life of the person or that of another person or necessary for protection from an immediate and serious threat to the health of the person or that of other persons'.
The use of risk as an admission criteria asks mental health care professionals to do something that lacks a firm evidence-base, and this risk criteria should be removed, he added.
Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman told the committee of a pilot Community Access Support Team (CAST) project in Limerick.
"This initiative is currently being trialled in partnership with the HSE in the Limerick Garda Division. The pilot started in January 2025 under 'A Policing Service for the Future' and is aimed at assisting people who are experiencing situational trauma or a mental health crisis."
Its central goal is to reduce future presentations and interactions with Gardaí or other blue light emergency services, through community follow-ups and the case management of complex cases, she said.
CAST has yet to be evaluated not only in terms of impact on individuals, but also on the amount of Garda time is being devoted to an area that is not a core function.
"However, it is important to note that since its introduction, CAST has created greater integration among statutory and voluntary agencies operating in the Limerick Garda Division. It is grounded in international evidence."
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