HSE and Tusla clash in court while girl with autism may face another 16 weeks in emergency bed

The vulnerable teenager has already spent 51 days in an emergency bed in hospital

The 17-year-old girl is medically fit for release from the general hospital, but there will not be an appropriate residential placement for her for another 12 to 16 weeks due to the lead-in time required to train specialist staff to meet the girl’s complex needs, the court heard.

The HSE is legally constrained in its ability to provide an emergency short-term placement for a teenager with autism who has spent 51 days in an emergency bed in hospital, the High Court has heard.

The 17-year-old girl is medically fit for release from the general hospital, but there will not be an appropriate residential placement for her for another 12 to 16 weeks, the court heard.