HSE apologises to children affected by over-prescription of medication in Kerry facility

An independent review into a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) facility, covering a three-year period, and all 1,500 patients who attended the facility, will be published by the HSE.

The HSE has apologised to families affected by substandard care at a child mental health centre in South Kerry after cases of over-prescription of medication came to light last year.

An independent review into a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) facility, covering a three-year period, and all 1,500 patients who attended the facility, will be published by the HSE.

The below-standard care affected potentially dozens of children and young teenagers.

The HSE will not currently comment on claims by a solicitor representing families that there are concerns too about the Camhs service in North Kerry.

Last year, it emerged that over-prescription of strong medication had occurred at the South Kerry facility. One young boy had been put on three medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for three years when he should only have been on one medication, his father has said.

The family became aware of the over-prescription when Camhs wrote to ask them to attend for appointment in Killarney last autumn. 

A doctor there informed them the child, now an adolescent, had been over-medicated.

The boy had to be “weaned off” the medication.

Solicitor Keith Rolls of Coleman Legal said concerns were being raised by families in North Kerry also.

Missing medical records

He is also concerned about missing medical records.

In one case, the entire file of medical records of a female attending Camhs in South Kerry over a 10-year period is missing, the solicitor told Radio Kerry.

He expects up to 100 legal proceedings will be issued by families, and a number are already under way.

In a statement, the HSE said 1,500 children and young people attended the South Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) between July 2016 and April 2021.

It confirmed "problems" were identified in the standard of care of a number of individuals.

The HSE commissioned an independent review team, led by a Camhs consultant Dr Seán Maskey, from the Maudsley Hospital in London.

“The team has reviewed the files of everyone who received care from South Kerry Camhs between July 2016 and April 2021, and we have written to all of the young people to let them know what the review found in their care.

“Where young people did not receive the standard of care which they should have, we offered to meet with the young people. We apologised to each individual at these meetings for any harm caused to them,” the HSE said.

All of the families and children have either now been met or have been offered the opportunity to meet for the purposes of open disclosure and to provide them with key information, the HSE said.

A final report from Dr Maskey is expected at some point in January, the HSE spokeswoman said.

An information line for those affected remains open on 1800 742 800 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

With regard to the query on North Kerry Camhs services, the HSE said it would not be commenting further until the report is published.