Paul Reid accepts HSE 'missed opportunities' to intervene in Kerry scandal

Chief executive Paul Reid: "I know the understanding to jump to the discipline issue, but a whole suite of issues have to be addressed here." Photo: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland

The chief executive of the HSE has said disciplinary action will be considered after it emerged that children were overmedicated with a cocktail of prescription drugs.

Paul Reid said the revelations were not so much a specific disciplinary issue with one person but they indicated a whole series of governance issues that need to be addressed following a damning report on the Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs).

"One of the issues that has always raised itself in many of these cases is the whole issue of accountability. It usually revolves around a whole set of initiatives that have to be addressed whether it is how people were performance managed, how the organisation of the services were delivered and how the oversight was there," Mr Reid said.

"If discipline is one of those processes, that will happen too.

"I know the understanding to jump to the discipline issue, but a whole suite of issues have to be addressed here."

He moved to reassure families with young people who use the Camhs that it has a strong set of supports.

"We have been investing significantly. This is a very challenging area to recruit in. It is not just clinical psychologists. There are multi-disciplinary teams in place across the country from a range of different expertise that contribute to young mental health teams."

He acknowledged missed opportunities in relation to identifying problems with the Kerry Camhs.

"There were various points of time where the escalation should have happened stronger and interventions could have been made earlier. 

"People were trying to oversee and do the right thing but it was only in September 2020 that the community organisation was alerted to the potential significance of this and then a whole set of triggers and actions has taken place including the appointment of Dr Sean Maskey to carry out this significant look back review and report."

Speaking to both RTÉ and Newstalk radio today, Mr Reid said a whole suite of actions will be taken to address system management failures in Kerry.

"Our immediate focus is on the children and families impacted. We will also be looking at the whole area of prescription levels in assessment across the 73 Camhs."

A review of the care of more than 1,300 children who attended the HSE-run Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs) in South Kerry has found that 46 of the children sustained significant harm.

Meanwhile, parent Maurice O'Connell whose 14-year-old son Jason was overprescribed medication for ADHD by Kerry-based Dr David Kromer has said that the report identified a litany of failures right across the Camhs service.

"I have no confidence in Camhs. I would prefer it if I went private now. I don't have any trust in them in terms of supervision. They gave him (Dr Kromer) carte blanche to give out medication like smarties. Why wasn't he supervised more?"

A solicitor representing families impacted by the Kerry scandal says the injured parties deserve to receive an apology from the Taoiseach from the Dáil chambers. Solicitor Padraig O’Connell says that parents deserve more than a perfunctory apology from the HSE.

“We will be seeking that the Taoiseach go into the Dáil and make a public apology to the victims. It is utterly scandalous. It is a matter in my opinion that should be investigated under the criminal court. 

"Obviously, there should be due process but it should be investigated in the criminal court. I am calling on the Taoiseach to go into the Dáil and utter a public apology to all of the victims”