Local Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster TD has described the backlogs in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) as a “gross failure of service provision for children and young people.”
Deputy Munster was speaking at a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) at which representatives from the HSE appeared to discuss ongoing problems with the service.
Deputy Munster said:
“In December 2021 in CHO8, the HSE region in which Louth is accounted for, there were 268 children on CAMHS waiting lists.
“21 of these children have been waiting for over nine months, 42 have been on a list for between six and nine months, 53 have been waiting for between three and six months and 152 have been waiting for up to three months.
“The HSE said at the PAC meeting that their target waiting list is 12 weeks, but it’s clear that these targets are not being met.
“The waiting lists don’t tell the full story – whilst a child might get an initial appointment, they can be waiting for years for a diagnosis or for referrals in some cases. This is simply unacceptable.
“The case of a local young person was raised in local media in Louth recently. This child was two years in the system without receiving a proper diagnosis, and her mental health was severely affected, and continues to be severely affected. And this is replicated right across the state.
“We know what happened in South Kerry. And we only know because of the whistle-blower who exposed the lack of oversight and failures in clinical practices, governance and supervision in that service.
“Last month the College of Psychiatrists in Ireland said that CAMHS is ‘limping along’, and that there are only 72 teams operating when 130 are required.
“It’s clear that the Minister and the HSE are failing children and young people. They need to focus on large scale recruitment and ensure that CAMHS is fit for purpose. The resources have to be put in place.”
