Children are being failed by CAMHS waiting lists, claims Cork TD

Waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Cork/Kerry have decreased over the past few months but the region still boasts the second highest waiting list for services across Ireland.

The latest HSE data shows that around 630 children were on waiting lists for CAMHS services across Cork/Kerry at the end of September this year, with around 132 waiting more than 12 months.

The figure indicates a decrease from June this year, when there were 862 children awaiting CAMHS services in the region.

However, Cork/Kerry still boasted the second-largest CAMHS waiting lists in Ireland at the end of September, slightly behind CHO 8.

Speaking to The Echo, Cork TD Thomas Gould said: “Children are being failed by these waiting lists.

“Every single number represents a child in desperate need of help and often, a family at breaking point.

“That over one in five of the children on these waiting lists have been waiting over 12 months is a shocking indictment of this government’s sustained failure in resourcing children’s mental health services.” 

Overall, waiting lists for CAMHS have decreased across Ireland but there were still around 3,800 children awaiting services at the end of September this year, with around 407 waiting more than 12 months.

The latest figures indicate a decrease from June 2022, when there were almost 4,300 children on CAMHS waiting lists across the country.

In a statement to The Echo, a spokesperson for the HSE said: “There has been an increase in demand for CAMHS and an increase in complexity of cases referred to CAMHS since Covid-19, this has had a significant impact on waiting times.

“Factors such as availability of specialist CAMHS clinicians, current vacancies and difficulties in recruiting in an international context can impact on waiting times also.

“CAMHS waiting lists are also impacted by capacity in other parts of the healthcare system, where young people do not have access to assessment and early intervention, their needs can become more complex over time which necessitates a referral to CAMHS.

“A renewed focus on waiting list initiatives and improving capacity and throughput is in place in a number of the CHO Areas,”

they added.

“Over the period 2012 to 2021, an additional 18 CAMHS Teams have been stood up, from 55 in 2012 to the 73 teams currently in place.

“Staffing has increased across all disciplines.”