Pringle: 'Donegal gardai forced to hold man with mental health issues for 12 hours'

Independent TD for Donegal Thomas Pringle has pushed Government to ensure gardaí have access to GPs.

Pringle was citing a case where a man with mental health issues was held for 12 hours because no GP was available to assess him.

Addressing the Dáil, Deputy Pringle said: “Last week a Garda station in Donegal was forced to hold a man with severe mental health issues for 12 hours, as there were no GPs available to assess him and sign the necessary forms to allow him to be admitted to hospital.

“This was not only unfair to the man being held, but also to the gardaí, who were unable to do anything else while this man was in their care. They were forced to ring 12 different GPs, but none were available.

“Garda resources are very limited in rural communities and so gardaí are not in a position to be tied up for a whole day trying to find a GP, and it’s completely unacceptable. I don’t understand why there isn’t a system in place ensuring GPs are contracted to the gardaí to ensure that this service is provided when it is necessary,” he said.

The deputy raised the issue during questions on policy or legislation. Deputy Pringle said: “Will you ensure that instances like this cannot happen again?”

In his response, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said it was undoubtedly the case that gardaí need to be able to access expert medical help if they are dealing with someone who has severe mental health issues. He said he would ask for contact between his officials and Justice Minister Helen McEntee’s officials to make sure gardaí have all the health care supports they need.