The importance of upgrading the IT systems to crucially better the mental health services for young individuals and children has been brought to the notice of the Health Service Executive (HSE) board. It’s notably been mentioned that the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs), which saw a flurry of complaints and reports including a 2023 report from the Mental Health Commission pinpointing significant threats to the safety and welfare of child service users, needs this change.
During the HSE’s safety and quality committee assembly in March, Amanda Burke, who heads youth and child mental health on a national level, proposed reconsidering the key performance indicators to assist clinicians in their work. Nevertheless, she explained to the committee, one of the board’s five, the lack of a revised IT system would obstruct consistent data accessibility, thereby affecting the services.
The meeting minutes underscored the importance of IT system modernisation in introducing essential improvements and in ensuring better supervision and administration, not just for Camhs but mental health services in general. A lack of IT upgrade was discussed as a factor causing inefficient communication between services, resulting in undue segregation, for instance, between disability and mental health.
The committee was informed about two primary obstacles that Camhs faces: a hiring freeze and the absence of multiannual funding. The need for significant investment was underscored, highlighting that such funding would greatly aid the service’s sustainability and facilitate the development of a comprehensive service model, as without it, there’s a recurring cycle with no total timelines or costs laid out.
The committee was told about the hiring freeze having a detrimental impact on Camhs, especially with small teams each consisting of a single staff member from various disciplines, and it was pointed out that this impact was similar to the challenges facing disabilities, unaffected by the recruitment freeze.
Last autumn, HSE entrusted Donan Kelly as the national head for the HSE child and youth mental health office, with the main agenda of implementing the Camhs service improvement programme. A move that followed a series of years where the service was criticised by various entities.
A report known as the Maskey review, conducted independently in 2022, found that the quality of care received by 240 children at the Camhs facility in southern Kerry fell significantly short of the expected standards. A concerning 46 youths suffered notable harm, including instances of induced sedation and increased blood pressure. The DPER noted that the hiring of HSE management and administrative staff was outstripping the recruitment of clinical staff. The review flagged erroneous diagnoses, unsuitable prescriptions, and inadequate supervision of treatment and potential damaging effects, unnecessarily exposing many children to high risks of harm. In a separate event, the Mental Health Commission released a provisional report in January 2023. This report highlighted serious risks to the safety and well-being of children utilising Camhs, including 140 children who were completely overlooked in follow-up practices, with their cases remaining open.