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.
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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.
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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.
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