Varadkar: Families of children harmed under care of Camhs will be compensated

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that he has 'absolutely no doubt' that compensation will need to be paid to the families affected. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

Financial compensation will be provided to the families of vulnerable young children who suffered significant harm while under the care of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs), the Tánaiste has said.

Leo Varadkar has said he was "disturbed and worried" by the findings of a review of the Camhs service in south Kerry.

He said the issues, including misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis of psychiatric conditions, "should not have happened and should have been identified and acted on much sooner than they were."

​"The most important thing that we can do as a State and health service is to make sure that we put in place the services and supports that the children and families need so that we can, if at all possible, rectify and remedy the harm that was done," he said. 

"That will range from good-quality psychiatric care for the children who need it, to other supports for families to help them manage and deal with what has happened."

But he added that it is "absolutely the case" that it will be "necessary" to also provide financial compensation to many of the families impacted.

These are clear failings in care, clearly not up to basic professional standards, so I’ve absolutely no doubt that families will bring cases forward, that they will need to be assessed, and that compensation payments will need to be made,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said the report has been sent to the Gardaí and to the Medical Council.

Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty said the findings relating to the south Kerry are "shocking" and "troubling", but he said understaffing and a lack of facilities is a wider national issue that must be addressed.

"This is a systemic failure for our young people and patients in many areas across the State," Mr Doherty told the Dáil. 

"It goes back to understaffing and under-resourcing and substantial vacancies in consultant and nursing posts. This is not the story of today or yesterday. One in five consultant psychiatrist posts are either vacant or filled on a temporary basis. Some of these posts have been vacant for years and years.

This issue has plagued our mental health services for the best part of a decade."

He said any review must examine not only the guidelines for prescription practices, but also the capacity and gaps in the service.

Labour Party leader Alan Kelly said while there are "some very good people" in the Camhs service, there are "silos in operation".

This is not due to just one rogue operator, but to systemic failure over many years, for which we are all guilty, every one of us," he said.

Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin asked if the State would issue a formal apology to the children and the families involved in this case, and if the Government would ensure that every child and family affected by this situation will get the care and support they need.

"I ask the Tánaiste to guarantee today that this will never happen again in south Kerry or anywhere else in Ireland under the Camhs, and to set out what measures will be taken to ensure that is the case," he said.

Mr Varadkar said the HSE has apologised verbally and in writing to all of the children and families affected, and the matter of a State apology will be considered.