Written Answers Nos. 552-571
552. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the reason a formal complaint submitted in November 2025 regarding CAMHS-ID has not received a substantive response to date; the standard response timelines for such complaints; and the steps being taken to address delays in this case. [35989/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
553. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the reason a request for full medical records from University Hospital Limerick, submitted in October 2025, has not yet been fulfilled; the statutory timeframe for such requests; and when the records will be released. [35990/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
554. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the oversight mechanisms in place within CAMHS-ID to ensure clinical decisions, particularly those involving the withdrawal of psychiatric medication in vulnerable children, are evidence-based, documented and subject to review; and if she will outline any recent audits conducted in this area. [35991/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond direct to the Deputy as soon as possible
555. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the procedures in place where concerns are raised that a clinician has recorded or shared inaccurate clinical information; whether such cases are automatically referred for independent review; and the patient safety is protected in such circumstances [35992/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
556. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health whether there are safeguards to prevent inappropriate sharing or coordination of inaccurate patient information across different HSE departments; and if any investigation has been undertaken into such concerns within CAMHS services. [35993/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
557. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the circumstances under which a clinician is referred to the relevant regulatory body following a complaint; whether any referrals have arisen from CAMHS-ID complaints in the past three years; and if she will provide details [35994/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond direct to the Deputy as soon as possible.
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.
559. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health whether she will commit to an independent investigation into serious patient safety concerns raised in relation to CAMHS-ID; and if not, the reason for that decision. [35996/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond direct to the Deputy as soon as possible.
560. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the immediate steps that are taken when credible concerns are raised that a clinician may pose a risk to patient safety; whether such clinicians are subject to restriction or supervision pending investigation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35997/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
561. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health if she considers it acceptable that serious allegations concerning patient safety within CAMHS-ID can remain unaddressed for several months; and the actions she will take to ensure accountability in this case. [35998/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond direct to the Deputy as soon as possible.
562. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total expenditure by the HSE in each of the years on the reimbursement of medicines prescribed for erectile dysfunction, including sildenafil and tadalafil; medicines prescribed for menopause-related conditions, including hormone replacement therapy products and topical vaginal oestrogen preparations, under the general medical services scheme, the drugs payment scheme and any other community drugs schemes; and if she will provide a breakdown by scheme, for each of the years from 2021 to 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form [36001/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
563. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will confirm whether service provision for early pregnancy loss is standardised across HSE hospital groups; and if she will provide any available comparative information on access to Early Pregnancy Units, diagnostic services, and medical management pathways between hospital groups. [36002/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
564. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the clinical pathways in place in each HSE maternity hospital and hospital group for the management of early pregnancy loss; whether medical management using pharmacological treatment including Misoprostol is available within each hospital group; and if she will provide a breakdown of the models of care in operation (including expectant, medical and surgical management) by hospital group [36003/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
565. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number and location of early pregnancy units or equivalent dedicated early pregnancy assessment services within the HSE maternity hospital system in each of the past five years, if she will outline any hospitals without access to a dedicated early pregnancy assessment service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36004/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
566. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of recorded cases of early pregnancy loss managed within HSE maternity hospitals ; and the number of cases managed by expectant management, medical management including pharmacological treatment such as Misoprostol, and surgical intervention; and if she will provide a breakdown by hospital group, in each of the years 2021 to 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36005/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
567. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any monetary approval thresholds exist within the treatment abroad scheme requiring additional sign-off for high-cost procedures; the officials or grades responsible for such approvals; and if she will provide the thresholds currently applied. [36018/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra568. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme operates any formal value-for-money assessment process prior to approving exceptionally high-cost procedures abroad; and if so, the methodology used. [36019/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra569. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of Treatment Abroad Scheme applications approved with an estimated cost exceeding in each year since 2020 (details supplied). [36020/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra570. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any applications under the Treatment Abroad Scheme have been refused wholly or partly on financial, budgetary, or proportionality grounds since 2020; and if she will provide annual figures. [36021/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra571. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains a central register of high-cost overseas procedures approved under the Treatment Abroad Scheme; and if so, the governance and reporting arrangements applying to that register. [36022/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra572. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the dates of all internal audit reviews, Comptroller and Auditor General examinations, or other formal oversight reviews conducted in respect of the Treatment Abroad Scheme since 2020; and if copies of findings or recommendations will be provided. [36023/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra573. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any risk assessment has been conducted regarding financial exposure arising from exceptionally high-cost procedures funded under the Treatment Abroad Scheme; and if so, whether she will provide details. [36024/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra574. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Treatment Abroad Scheme has any specific governance pathway for novel, experimental, or highly specialised procedures abroad involving significant State expenditure. [36025/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra575. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Treatment Abroad Scheme maintains procedure-specific coding or categorisation for any surgical specialties funded abroad; and if so, to provide the categories recorded. [36026/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra577. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any legal, GDPR, administrative, or policy barrier prevents the Treatment Abroad Scheme from recording anonymised procedure-category data for overseas gender-related surgeries. [36028/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra579. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has requested the introduction of structured reporting or coding mechanisms relating to gender affirmation procedures funded abroad under the Treatment Abroad Scheme. [36030/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra580. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total annual expenditure under the Treatment Abroad Scheme on overseas gender-related surgical referrals for each year from 2020 to date. [36031/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra581. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Treatment Abroad Scheme records the age profile of persons approved for overseas gender affirmation surgeries. [36032/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 567 to 575, inclusive, 577 and 579 to 581, inclusive, together.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
