Mentally ill children left waiting for aid

CHILDREN with “urgent” mental health problems waited more than three years to see a psychiatrist or other experts, according to a report that also showed other children classed as “non-urgent” had to wait more than five years.

The appalling waiting lists for children in Co Kerry were revealed in a national review of child and family services, which found 77 children in the county were on the urgent list with the longest waiting over three years to be seen.

Although the figures refer to the situation in 2005, the Health Service Executive said yesterday things had improved only “slightly”.