Sedated and sent home: CAMHS in crisis - Kilkenny TD

Deputy John McGuinness has described the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Kilkenny as being in ‘crisis’ and said that it is ‘commonplace now that nine-year-old kids are being brought to accident and emergency departments for attention only to be sedated with no follow up’.

The shocking assertion was made in the Dáil last month by the Kilkenny TD who raised the matter with Minister of State in Department of Health (Mental Health and Older People), Mary Butler.

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Deputy McGuinness said that he had notified CAMHS of a particular case last month and it was unable to respond.
“In fact, there was no one to respond so the child ended up at the accident and emergency department,” he told the Minister.

Deputy McGuinness also told the Dáil that it is ‘not uncommon for a family to have to wait for five years for an assessment, while private assessments are not being recognised’ and asked the Taoiseach to intervene to ensure some action is taken to improve the services and the reach out to the affected families.

The Kilkenny TD added that the families in question are ‘traumatised by what is happening’.

Minister Mary Butler replied and said that during Covid-19 CAMHS had seen ‘unprecedented levels of extra referrals’.

“The Deputy spoke about a five-year wait for an assessment of need. There is no assessment of needs for CAMHS; that wait must relate to disability. With multi disciplinary teams, 95% of all young people are responded to within 72 hours.”

The Minister also said that if Deputy McGuinness gave her details of the particular case he referred to she would try and help him with it.