Kerry children needing mental health assessment being referred to psychiatrist in Doha
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Families needing an assessment in South Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) are still engaging in telemedicine with a psychiatrist in Doha, with the HSE admitting it does not expect to have a permanent consultant in the short term.
A year ago, the full scale of the Camhs crisis in South Kerry emerged around the publication of a review by Dr Sean Maskey, with one clear issue the lack of oversight afforded to those in Camhs because of the absence of a senior consultant.
The post has been vacant since 2016 and the HSE has said it remains so, despite its efforts.
A HSE spokesperson said: "We have not yet been able to recruit into that vacancy not because of a lack of resources or effort, but because there is a worldwide shortage of Camhs consultants.
"While we continue to work to fill this post, it is very challenging and unfortunately we do not expect to have a permanent consultant in the short term. This is despite the fact that we have advertised nationally and internationally, and have engaged with international recruitment agencies."
The HSE said it was continuing its work to implement all 35 recommendations of the Maskey Report and again apologised to the young people affected and their families for deficits in care.
"The remote appointments are offered as part of a suite of supports from South Kerry Camhs," the spokesperson said. "If families do not wish to take up a remote appointment, then they can be offered an in-person appointment when available.
Joan Cronin, who lectures in social work at the School of Applied Social Studies in University College Cork, said children have human rights and that being able to quickly and fully grasp the scale of a child's mental health issue via telehealth was "impossible" and "a substandard method" for initial assessments.
Ms Cronin, who worked as a principal social worker and family therapist in Camhs from 2000 to 2016, said: "Establishing therapeutic links and forming relationships at that first meeting is important. Sitting together with the weight of a problem for a child and family is an often daunting and challenging piece of work for clinicians, carers, and children but it is often the 'sitting together with the problem' that allows it to become manageable."
The HSE said last year there were a total of 271 calls to the Kerry Camhs information line and there have been 461 calls in total since establishing the line on April 21, 2021. It remains open on 1800 742 800 from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm (excluding bank holiday Mondays).
Following the publication of the Maskey Report, the HSE identified an additional number of files at North Kerry Camhs where the same junior doctor involved in the issues in South Kerry Camhs also had an involvement.
That led to meetings and apologies to 15 young people and their families where Dr Maskey identified issues with their treatment while under the care of North Kerry Camhs.