Children waiting six days for mental health assessment at University Hospital Limerick

TWO CHILDREN with mental health difficulties were left waiting six days in total for an assessment in University Hospital Limerick’s emergency unit, a new report has revealed.

Staff working for the Children and Adolescent Health Service (Camhs) in the region have also revealed that they believe the service is “unsafe” due to the lack of workers and consultant cover.

The findings come as part of a 54-page report on the Camhs service in Limerick, north Tipperary and Clare, published by the Mental Health Commission.

The management of the service designed to support children under 18 experiencing mental health problems was described as “disjointed”, and “serious concerns” were raised about the ability to provide a safe service for young people.

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“The inability to recruit staff, including consultant psychiatrists had seen a detrimental impact on service delivery with long waiting lists, lack of consultant cover and cases being lost of follow up,” the report read.

An internal review by Camhs identified 140 children across the region who were not receiving follow-up appointments.

And as of this January, there were 210 children awaiting an initial mental health assessment in Limerick alone.

The report also found the Camhs service was staffed at less than two-thirds of national recommendations.

Parents who made contact with the Commission spoke of their “frustration and distress”, claiming phones were not answered, messages were not followed up on, and there was no call back. HSE Community Mid-West, which provides Camhs in the region, issued an apology.