State is ‘utterly failing vulnerable children’ on Camhs wait lists

500-plus children are waiting more than a year for a HSE Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services appointment

Data released to TDs from the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin show what was described as 'a time bomb waiting to happen', with the majority of those waiting over 52 weeks based in the HSE South West region. Picture: iStock

The State has been accused of “utterly failing vulnerable children” as stark figures show over 500 children are waiting for more than a year for an appointment with Camhs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) across the country.

The majority of those waiting over 52 weeks are based in the HSE South West region, with 305 children in Cork and Kerry left languishing on lists for over 12 months. Some 991 children nationwide are waiting over nine months.

Pádraig Rice, Social Democrats TD for Cork South-Central and chairman of the Oireachtas health committee, said the waiting lists are “indefensible” and the children need “urgent intervention”.

The waiting list figures were both provided to both Mr Rice and Sinn Féin Longford–Westmeath TD Sorca Clarke by the HSE following questions to health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

Camhs provides specialist mental health services to those aged up to 18 who have “reached the threshold for a diagnosis of moderate to severe mental disorder”, the HSE stated.

4,047 children on waiting list

At the end of September, there were 4,047 children across the country waiting to access Camhs services. Of these, 987 were in the HSE South West region, which provides services to people in Cork and Kerry.

A total of 531 children nationwide were waiting for over a year for an appointment, with 305 (57%) of these in Cork or Kerry.

The second highest wait list was in the HSE Dublin and North East region, with 174 people waiting longer than one year.

All other regions had fewer than 22 children waiting less than a year.

Some 460 children across the country were waiting for more than nine months but less than a year for an appointment, bringing the total number of youths waiting for longer than nine months to 991.

Another 798 children were waiting for between six and nine months for an appointment, while 1,005 were on a waiting list for more than three months.Just 31% of youths (1,253) referred to Camhs have been waiting for less than three months.

Wait list is 'indefensible' 

Mr Rice told the Irish Examiner there needs to be a sense of urgency to ensure these children are seen immediately.

“It is indefensible that almost 2,800 children are waiting over three months to access Camhs, with over 500 waiting over a year,” he said.

These are children with moderate to severe mental health needs — they need urgent interventions.

Social Democrats Cork South-Central TD Pádraig Rice. File picture

Sinn Féin Longford–Westmeath TD Sorca Clarke. File picture

“The Ombudsman for Children [Niall Muldoon] has rightly described this waiting list crisis as a time bomb waiting to happen, and yet the minister for health [Jennifer Carroll MacNeill] and the minister of state with responsibility for mental health [Mary Butler] are acting with no sense of urgency.

“In my own region, HSE South West, the situation is particularly disgraceful, with 305 children waiting over a year, the highest in any region. These vulnerable children are being utterly failed by the State.”

No sign of North Kerry report 

Elsewhere, the HSE has again failed to confirm when a report commissioned into Camhs services in North Kerry will be completed.

A review of services in the region was commissioned after the 2022 Maskey Report found that care for 240 children and teenagers in South Kerry did not meet standards.

The North Kerry review was announced in January 2023, with the files of around 300 children expected to be examined.

A spokesperson for HSE South West apologised for the delay, saying that it “sincerely regrets that this review process has taken longer than we initially hoped”.