Rise in number of children waiting over a year for mental health services

Camhs has been the focus of concern over the last year, with the South Kerry service the subject of a highly critical report about how children were diagnosed and treated. 

Just 167 children have been seen from the waiting lists for mental health services over the last two months, with the number waiting over a year for an appointment on the rise.

Figures from the Health Service Executive have shown there are now 521 children waiting more than one year to be seen by mental health services, up from 508 in mid-July.

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs) has been the focus of concern over the last year, with the South Kerry service the subject of a highly critical report about how children were diagnosed and treated. 

It found children were exposed to harm when an inexperienced psychiatrist was allowed to work unsupervised for more than five years.

Waiting list numbers

The latest data shows 4,127 children are on waiting lists altogether, with the Cork/Kerry region the worst affected, at 843 kids on the lists.

The region also has the most children waiting over a year to be seen at 178, albeit slightly down on July when this figure stood at 186.

The region covering Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary also faces challenges, with 125 waiting more than one year, up from 116 in July.

However, in the south-east region, including Waterford, there are just 25 children waiting more than one year, with a total of 282 on the lists.

In a letter, released with the figures, the general manager of the National Mental Health Services, Tony McCusker, said urgent cases are seen quickly, but the availability of specialist clinicians and vacancies impact waiting times.

He said stresses in other areas of care can add to delays, saying: “Young people may not receive early intervention and thus their needs escalate necessitating referrals to CAMHS.” 

'Running to keep still'

The figures, released in response to a parliamentary query from Labour TD Sean Sherlock, also show 1,124 children waiting longer than six months but less than one year for help.

Mr Sherlock said: “We are running to keep still in ensuring young adults' mental health concerns are addressed in a timely manner.” 

He called on the HSE to boost recruitment efforts. 

“The HSE readily admits that failures in early intervention are leading to this spike in numbers seeking help from Camhs,” he said.

“We need an urgent action plan on early intervention that fast tracks therapies to families to help prevent future problems. Families need therapy, not just talk of therapy. The figures bear that reality out."

Separately,.the HSE said this week an audit of files from children seen through the North Kerry Camhs is expected to be complete by late October.

The audit of a sample and random fifty files was begun in June and this represents around 10% of the total caseload in North Kerry.

The HSE has asked Dr Sean Maskey to carry out this audit, the same expert who reviewed the South Kerry service.