A Kerry County Councillor has reiterated his call for the Health Minister and CEO of the health service for meet with them regarding the South Kerry CAMHS scandal.
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Cahill made the call at the recent Kenmare Municipal District meeting.
He’d previously called for this meeting back in February.
In January of last year, The Maskey Report was published and it 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.
Cllr Michael Cahill says the what families have gone through with South Kerry CAMHS is the worst scandal he’s witnesses in his 30 plus years as a public representative.
He says there are still issues with the compensation scheme, the current consultant in Galway is only available to see patients travelling from Kerry on Saturdays and he says younger patients no longer trust medication and are refusing it.
In a letter to Kerry County Council, dated at the end of March, it says it would not be appropriate or practical for the CEO of the HSE to attend such a meeting as the HSE board is the governing body accountable to the Health Minister, and the Chief Executive Officer is in turn accountable to the HSE board.
However, the HSE says regular updates regarding Kerry CAMHS are provided at the Regional Health Forum South meetings.
The Rossbeigh councillor says he still wants an urgent meeting with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly along with the CEO of the HSE Bernard Gloster.
He says he won’t accept no as an answer this time.
