Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 May 2026
558. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the actions that have been taken to address systemic failures within CAMHS following previous reviews and reports; and the measures that are in place to ensure that similar failures are identified and addressed promptly in other regions. [35995/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraA priority for Government and for me is to improve access to CAMHS and reduce waiting lists, including better links with Primary Care and Disability Services. This has been underpinned by the significant investment I secured for mental health, including CAMHS, over recent years and by the continued implementation of our national mental health policy Sharing the Vision 202-2030. Service improvement across all of youth mental health is also a key objective of the HSE Service Plan 2026.
CAMHS receives approximately €191 million annually, an increase of almost 40% over the past four years. A further €127 million is provided to NGOs, many of which focus on youth mental health e.g. Jigsaw, Spunout etc. CAMHS is a secondary care specialist service for those aged up to 18 years who have a moderate to severe mental health difficulty. Access to CAMHS is on the basis of prioritised clinical assessment, in line with the CAMHS Operational Guideline 2025.
Approximately 2% of the population require support from this specialist service with over 90% of mental health needs successfully treated in a primary care setting. Despite this, demand for CAMHS continues to increase with in excess of 230,000 CAMHS appointments provided last year, 8% more than in 2024. Similarly, in 2025, CAMHS received over 29,000 referrals, an increase of more than 14% on the previous year. As of March 2026, CAMHS had received 8,402 referrals.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Maskey Report published in 2022, examined deficits in relation to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in South Kerry. The review identified that 240 young people did not receive the standard of care they should have from CAMHS. The HSE issued a public apology and offered meetings to all affected in South Kerry. The Government also introduced a non-adversarial route for children and their families to seek compensation for the shortfall in care received.
A national independent prescribing audit initiated following the publication of the Maskey Report did not find any evidence of concerns relating to prescribing practices in any services outside of Kerry. No issues relating to prescribing or medication safety were identified by the subsequent national review of CAMHS conducted by the Chief Inspector of the Mental Health Commission.
The HSE Child and Youth Mental Health Office Action Plan 2025-2027 has incorporated all of the recommendations from the Maskey Report, the Mental Health Commission’s Report on CAMHS provision and the HSE internal audits on prescribing practice and adherence to the CAMHS operational guidelines. Good progress continues to be made on delivering all 16 themes of the CYMHO Action Plan. Core concepts reflected in this new Action Plan include more person centered care, adopting a more human rights based approach, and promoting Quality and Safety across all youth mental health services.
Separately, I initiated the North Kerry Lookback Review following the publication of the Maskey Report in 2022 on CAMHS in South Kerry. The HSE published this latest Lookback Review on 18 February 2026. Again, the HSE issued a public apology to the young people and their families affected in North Kerry, including in letters to impacted families.
My priority since commencing the North Kerry Lookback Review has been the best interests of the children, young people and their families and to have this report published as quickly as possible. Throughout the Lookback process all young people and families have had access to on-going support, including the open disclosure helpline and a Clinical Liaison Support Team.
During the review, any young person whose file showed major or moderate potential for harm in the care provided to them was invited to an individual Open Disclosure meeting. These meetings offered families an opportunity to hear the findings of the review of their file and to give feedback on their experience of the service and to receive an apology directly from the HSE for the deficits in care.
As I have indicated on several occasions since the publication, I was seriously concerned with the findings of this report. However, I am satisfied that HSE South West has taken the necessary steps to address the deficits in care experienced by children and young people as highlighted in this report and in the Maskey review.
HSE South West has accepted all recommendations laid out in the North Kerry Lookback Review and will continue to implement them through a formal Implementation Team that includes a Patient Partner, ensuring transparency, lived experience input, and accountability for delivery.
Many of the 61 recommendations have already been actioned, thanks to ongoing improvements in place following the publication of the Maskey report in 2022. Service improvements have been undertaken in the areas of clinical governance, processes, policy, physical monitoring, prescribing and access to disability teams and therapies.
Given that there is now increased governance, regular care and prescribing audits, standardised practice and a dedicated workforce, I am assured that the service now is significantly improved and that the necessary safeguards have been put in place to ensure that similar risks do not happen again.
I will continue to work closely with the HSE Child and Youth Mental Health National Office to drive reform of CAMHS nationally to ensure that this key specialist service which benefits so many young people and their families each year is safe, accessible, child-centered, and delivered to the highest of standards.
