The Halpin Report, officially known as the North Kerry CAMHS Lookback Review, was released on February 18, 2026.

Led by Dr. Colette Halpin, the review examined the care of 374 children and young people who were active patients of the North Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) as of November 2022.

The findings highlight a second scandal for Kerry mental health services, following the 2022 Maskey Report into South Kerry CAMHS.

Key Findings

  • Widespread Risk of Harm: The review found that 56% of children (209 out of 374) were at risk of potential harm due to their treatment. Most of these cases fell into the “moderate risk” category, involving potential injury or impaired functioning lasting between one and six months.
  • Over-Prescribing (Polypharmacy): A major concern was the high rate of “polypharmacy”prescribing two or more psychotropic medications simultaneously. In some cases, medication was prescribed inappropriately or for excessive lengths of time.
  • Lack of Physical Monitoring: Fewer than half of the children prescribed anti-psychotic or ADHD medications received baseline physical health assessments. Only about one-third received ongoing physical monitoring, despite the risk of side effects like weight gain, sedation, and dizziness.
  • Therapy Imbalance: There was a significant “imbalance” between medication and talking therapies. Children were far more likely to be given drugs than to be offered psychotherapy or family-based interventions.
  • Governance Failures: The report highlighted a lack of standard operating procedures. Many patients were not assigned a “keyworker,” and formal individual care plans were often missing.
  • Informed Consent: In 68% of files, there was limited or no evidence that “informed consent” was documented or that written information about medication was provided to families.

Comparison to South Kerry (Maskey Report)

While the South Kerry review centered largely on the actions of one junior doctor, the North Kerry findings suggest more systemic deficits across the service

Apologies

The HSE has held “Open Disclosure” meetings with affected families to apologise and explain individual findings.

Recommendations

The Halpin Report includes a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at dismantling the systemic failures that allowed for the high rates of over-medication and poor monitoring in North Kerry CAMHS.

The HSE has formally accepted all recommendations and stated that several are already being implemented through a “clinical liaison team” and new regional leadership.

1. Clinical & Prescribing Reforms

The Halpin Report emphasises moving away from a medication-first model and ensuring the physical safety of children who are prescribed drugs.

  • Mandatory Physical Monitoring: Immediate implementation of baseline and ongoing physical health checks (weight, blood pressure, heart rate) for all children on ADHD or anti-psychotic medications.
  • Review of Polypharmacy: A systematic clinical review of all cases where “polypharmacy” (prescribing multiple psychotropic drugs) is occurring to ensure it is clinically justified and safe.
  • Expansion of Talking Therapies: A directive to rebalance the “service mix,” ensuring children have access to psychotherapy, family therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) rather than relying solely on prescriptions.

2. Governance & Operational Standards

To address the lack of oversight identified in the review, the Halpin Report calls for a modernization of how the North Kerry team operates.

  • New Leadership Roles: Recruitment of a permanent Consultant Clinical Lead to provide stable governance and a Clinical Service Manager to oversee day-to-day operations.
  • Individual Care Plans (ICPs): Requirement that every child has a formal, written Individual Care Plan that is reviewed regularly with the family.
  • Keyworker Assignment: Every patient must be assigned a specific “keyworker” to act as their primary point of contact and ensure they don’t “fall through the cracks.”
  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Implementation of national CAMHS operational guidelines to replace the “ad-hoc” practices previously found in the North Kerry clinic.

3. Staffing & Resources

The Halpin Report noted that North Kerry CAMHS was operating significantly below the staffing levels recommended in the national policy, A Vision for Change.

  • Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Expansion: Hiring of senior psychologists, assistant psychologists, and social workers to reduce the “imbalance” between medical and therapeutic care.
  • Digital Infrastructure: Modernising file management to ensure clinical notes and consent forms are properly documented and easily accessible for audits.

Redress

While the Halpin Report focuses on clinical improvements, the debate surrounding compensation continues. Unlike the South Kerry (Maskey) victims, the North Kerry families do not yet have a dedicated state redress scheme.

While not a “clinical” recommendation, the Halpin Report’s findings of “moderate to major harm” in 56% of cases have led the Department of Health to begin urgent engagements with the State Claims Agency to determine a path for compensation.

Many of those affected have already had to resort to issuing High Court Proceedings due to the lack of a compensation scheme, despite deficiencies in their care having been identified  some considerable time ago.

Read the North Kerry CAMHS Lookback Review FAQs from the HSE for answers to common questions about the review process and findings.