HSE audit finds South Kerry Camhs was an outlier

Dr Aoife O’Sullivan, a GP in Cork city centre, said waiting lists for Camhs are an obstacle for children seeking help which is directly linked to staff shortages

The Maskey Report last year revealed that hundreds of children received “risky” treatment from a doctor in the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) in South Kerry.

An unpublished HSE audit of prescribing practices in child mental health services has not found evidence of over-prescribing of medication in any region other than South Kerry, the Minister of State at the Department of Health has confirmed.

The audit commenced in July last year on the back of the Maskey report which revealed that hundreds of children received “risky” treatment from a doctor in the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) in South Kerry. Some 46 children suffered “significant harm”.