Senior garda appointed to examine review of Kerry Camhs services

The examination will determine if there are sufficient grounds for a criminal investigation into the matter

“Where are the lost years for those children? They can never get them back,” said solicitor Padraig O’Connell.  File picture.

A senior garda has been appointed to examine the review of the child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) in Kerry to establish if there are grounds for a criminal investigation.

The appointment comes as it emerges that up to 20 families of vulnerable young children in North Kerry have received apologies from the HSE arising out of their care through their local Camhs.

A spokesman for An Garda Síochána said that the HSE has provided gardaí with a copy of the report, adding that a senior officer has now been appointed to examine it “in the context of whether there are grounds to consider any specific criminal investigation”.

It follows the publication of a report arising out of a review of services in the South Kerry Camhs area, which also included 34 files from North Kerry.

Meetings have been held with families in the North Kerry area, with verbal and written apologies issued.

The review is understood to have arisen out of diagnoses and treatment of patients in the South Kerry Camhs area by Dr David Kromer, a non-consultant hospital doctor.

The report highlighted a litany of failings at the South Kerry service, with 46 children suffering due to unreliable diagnoses and inappropriate prescriptions.

The 34 files from North Kerry Camhs were included by the review team because of the possibility of involvement in their care by the same doctor.

Solicitors representing the affected families said that more and more families are coming forward to seek legal advice.

Keith Rolls, who represents more than 100 families, said there is concern that the published report is not comprehensive because some patient files were missing.

This was reiterated by solicitor Padraig O’Connell.

“We are seriously concerned about the missing files," he said. 

Where are they and why are they missing? Why isn’t there a back-up master file? Why isn’t all this computerised?” 

He also said that he and his clients are "seriously" considering a formal complaint to gardaí under the criminal code.

And he said: “Where are the lost years for those children? They can never get them back.”

HSE chief executive Paul Reid apologised this afternoon for what had happened.

“It is deeply regrettable, beyond comprehension in many points, and so wrong what happened,” he said.

As CEO, I want to sincerely apologise for what happened in this service in this area.” 

The HSE has already submitted issues raised in the report to Gardaí and to the Medical Council.

Mr Reid said that some “basic clinical oversights” and management processes were lacking, and in some situations “abandoned”. 

He said the report did not "scapegoat" any individual, but raised concerns around governance and oversight.

He accepted there has been a “very significant impact” on many children and their families in the area from what transpired.

At the national level, the HSE will carry out audits in Camhs services, including looking at prescribing levels, he said. The scope of this audit is being defined now.