Dianne Willmore, who passed from mesothelioma in 2009, won a landmark £240,000 case, holding Knowsley Borough Council liable for her asbestos exposure during school. Her case prompted legal and financial ramifications for local authorities nationwide, leading to increased awareness and changes in asbestos-related negligence proceedings.
CAMHS Reviews & Audits
CAMHS is a service dedicated to the assessment and treatment for young people and their families who are experiencing mental health difficulties. CAMHS, a division of the HSE, was set to specifically provide specialist mental health treatment and care to young people up to 18 years of age through a multidisciplinary team. CAMHS state their aim “to provide timely high quality assessment and treatment of mental health difficulties for young people and their families”.
Table of Contents
1. South Kerry CAMHS review
The Maskey Report
In 2020, a Consultant Psychiatrist commenced working with CAMHS in the South Kerry service. He immediately raised serious concerns about treating young people in the service’s care. In particular, the consultant was concerned about the prescription of antipsychotic medications to patients, failure to adequately monitor those patients while on this medication, misdiagnosis, and deficits in care. In 2021, the HSE commenced a review to investigate these concerns. Dr. Sean Maskey, a consultant psychiatrist from the United Kingdom, was tasked with carrying out a Look-Back Review. Dr. Maskey’s report was published in January 2021. The findings were shocking. Of the files reviewed, 240 young people had been subjected to deficits in care. 46 of these children were found to have suffered significant harm.
2. North Kerry CAMHS review
Following the publication of the Maskey Report into the South Kerry CAMHS review, significant concerns were raised about the care received by many young people in North Kerry CAMHS. A team of CAMHS consultants carried out a random audit of 50 files. The HSE published the results of the random audit into North Kerry CAMHS review cases on January 23rd, 2023. In 16 of the 50 cases reviewed, significant deficits of care were identified, including inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medication to young people and inadequate monitoring of these patients.
3. National CAMHS review
The Mental Health Commission
Following the publication of The Maskey Report, amid widespread outrage, the HSE announced that a full CAMHS review would be carried out nationally. In January 2023, the Mental Health Commission Interim Report into CAMHS review was published. The Commissioner deemed it necessary to issue an interim report given the alarming findings in the small proportion of cases reviewed. 10% of open CAMHS cases in 5 of the 9 CHOs had been reviewed. This report is merely a snapshot, and in the view of Coleman Legal LLP, it only scratches the surface of the widespread failings of CAMHS nationwide.
Our Team
At Coleman Legal LLP, we have a team of highly qualified solicitors and legal executives with extensive experience in medical misdiagnosis, mismanagement of medication, and deficits in care. We are available to speak to the parents of the affected children in addition to patients who are now 18 years of age or older that may have been impacted by the misdiagnosis on the part of this HSE employee.
Coleman Legal LLP
Solicitors
84 Talbot Street, Dublin 1
D01 YX60
DX 112002
Contact Details
Free Phone: 1800-844-104
Fax: (01) 5312727
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.colemanlegalpartners.ie
Online Enquiry Form: Apply
Request a Callback
Disclaimer
NO SOLICITOR / CLIENT RELATIONSHIP
No solicitor/client relationship or duty of care or liability of any nature shall exist or be deemed to exist between Coleman Legal LLP and you until you have received a written letter of engagement from us in which we confirm our appointment as your Solicitors.