There are a thousand young people waiting for an appointment with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the Kerry and Cork region.
That’s according to figures provided to Sinn Féin TD for Kerry Pa Daly.
He’s accusing the Government of failing to prioritise young people’s mental health care.
Nationally, there are 4,421 children and young people waiting for an appointment with CAMHS; 1,000 of those are in the Kerry and Cork region as of May this year.
362 are waiting over a year, while 120 are waiting between a year and 39 weeks; a further 131 people have been waiting between 26 and 39 weeks for an appointment.
The number of people in the Kerry and Cork region waiting between 12 and 26 weeks for an appointment with CAMHS is 165 and 222 people have been waiting almost three months.
Deputy Pa Daly says since the current Government came into power, the waiting list has doubled.
He says it stood at 2,115 in 2020, but the number of young people waiting on mental health treatment has since increased by 109%.
Deputy Daly says Kerry was the subject of the Maskey report, which was a damning indictment of CAMHS and he claims the Government has failed to act since it was published in January 2022.
The Maskey Report established that 240 children were put at risk of serious harm and significant harm was caused to 46 others, while attending South Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
The vast majority of these cases related to the practices of one junior doctor.
The Kerry Sinn Féin TD says capital investment and accountability reforms are needed in the sector, along with planning for staff.
He says his party has a plan to transform child and youth mental health services.
