Children with mental health issues presenting to EDs

Children with acute mental health problems are increasingly presenting to emergency departments because they cannot access an appropriate bed, leading to costly hospital admissions.

A study that looked at all emergency mental health (MH) admissions at one Dublin children’s hospital in 2016 found the cost per child was €12,684, based on a six-day stay. There were 105 emergency MH admissions during this time, at an estimated cost to the hospital of €1.3m.

The authors of ‘Hidden Costs in Paediatric Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Services’ (PCLS, also known as hospital-based mental health services), published in the Irish Medical Journal, said admissions are being driven up by a lack of capacity in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and the lack of out-of-hours services.