A Kerry TD says the delay in obtaining answers on North Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services is set to continue.
A clinical lead for a lookback review was announced yesterday; the first phase of this will review the files of 300 patients that were active last November.
Cork Kerry Community Healthcare confirmed yesterday that Dr Colette Halpin, a consultant CAMHS psychiatrist, will lead a lookback review into the care of children and young people at North Kerry CAMHS.
The first phase will review all files open in North Kerry on November 21st 2022 - approximately 300, and the aim is that this to be completed by the end of the year.
Kerry Sinn Féin TD, Pa Daly, says while he welcomes the appointment of Dr Halpin as clinical lead for the lookback review, she’ll only be reviewing the current active case load in Phase 1.
He says this will result in former patients and parents in North Kerry, who have been seeking answers in relation to treatment going back 15 years, will have to wait until next year at least.
The lookback was initiated after a random audit of 50 files in North Kerry CAMHS found 16 raised potential concerns about treatment.
That random audit came about after the publication of the Maskey Report into South Kerry CAMHS, which found significant harm was caused to 46 children due to inappropriate medication being prescribed by a junior doctor.
Deputy Pa Daly says this lookback review was announced last January, and it’s frustrating for families that they’re no closer to obtaining an appropriate response from the HSE.
Information and updates will be posted on hse.ie/northkerrycamhsreview,, and the Kerry CAMHS information line remains open on 1800-742-800, from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
