Our client was a young boy receiving care from a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). His family placed their trust in the service to provide appropriate care and ensure that any medication prescribed to him was safe and properly monitored.

A CAMHS compensation settlement of €100,000 was reached in 2026 through an HSE CAMHS scheme on behalf of a young boy who was prescribed antipsychotic medication by a junior doctor without adequate consultant supervision.

Our client was prescribed several medications, including antipsychotic medication, by a junior doctor who was not being adequately supervised by a consultant.

Over a short period, he experienced significant weight gain, lost interest in activities he had previously enjoyed and developed breast tissue. After the medication was discontinued, our client lost the weight he had gained. However, some of the breast tissue remained. These changes had both physical and psychological effects on our client.

How the claim was investigated

Steven Whelan and Keith Rolls acted on behalf of our client and his family.

Healthcare services have a responsibility to ensure that junior doctors receive appropriate supervision and that medications, particularly antipsychotic medications, are prescribed and monitored in accordance with accepted clinical standards.

Independent medical evidence was obtained from a consultant child psychiatrist, a plastic surgeon and a clinical psychologist.

These experts assessed the care provided to our client, the concerns surrounding the supervision and prescribing of medication, and the physical and psychological effects he had experienced.

The outcome

The claim was resolved in 2026 through an HSE CAMHS scheme, resulting in a €100,000 CAMHS compensation settlement.

Liability was admitted, and the settlement brought the matter to a conclusion for our client and his family.

How Coleman Legal helped

Steven Whelan and Keith Rolls guided the family through the process from the initial consultation through to settlement.

They instructed the independent medical experts whose evidence addressed the failures in supervision and prescribing, as well as the physical and psychological harm experienced by our client.

Throughout the process, they managed the claim on the family’s behalf, ensuring that the relevant evidence was gathered and that the family was kept informed at each stage.