Health watchdog sets December deadline for forensic child unit in CMH

The Mental Health Commission recently said: 'The HSE must expand the current limited Forensic Camhs to the planned two fully staffed teams and provide a detailed timeline for when this will be achieved.

The HSE has been given a deadline of the end of this year to open a secure ten-bed child forensic unit that has been completed in the new Central Mental Hospital (CMH).

But the HSE has recently said the facility was “expected to be operational” in the third quarter of next year and that this was contingent on the agency's “ability to recruit staff”.

The new CMH, officially known as the National Forensic Mental Health Service, located in Portrane, north Dublin, was opened last November.

The ten-bed Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs) unit was not included in this opening.

The CMH takes adults with severe psychiatric illnesses from the courts, the prison system and community psychiatric services. The child unit in Portrane will take minors from Oberstown Children Detention Campus and inpatient Camhs units.

In its independent review of Camhs, the Mental Health Commission said: "A 10-bed Forensic Camhs Unit has been built in the National Forensic Mental Health Service campus in Portrane (Brandon Unit). It has not yet opened and there are no current plans to do so due to difficulty in recruiting staff.

“The HSE stated that an analysis of needs will be undertaken to evaluate the current in reach service to Oberstown and to determine the current and future needs for Forensic Camhs beds in the new forensic mental health service in Portrane.”  But the report demanded greater urgency:

The HSE must expedite the opening of the 10-bed forensic unit....in Portrane. This should be done at the latest by 31 December 2023. 

The report also detailed serious shortages in the Forensic Camhs (F-Camhs) team that was set up in 2012.

“Funding was approved for two full time multidisciplinary Camhs Forensic Teams,” the report said. "Unfortunately, recruitment has not commenced for the remaining staff and no dates/plans were available as to when this will take place.” 

It said community camhs teams had “little access” to these forensic services.

“We found one young person who clearly needed a forensic assessment and treatment but this was not provided by the HSE. A forensic assessment from a private contractor was eventually sourced in Ireland,” the report said.

It said: “The HSE must expand the current limited Forensic Camhs to the planned two fully staffed teams and provide a detailed timeline for when this will be achieved."

It said community teams must have access to advice, support and management of the forensic teams.