‘Ping Pong’ over services causing ‘huge distress’ to families - TD

THE ‘ping-pong’ game between disability services and CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) has to stop because it is causing ‘ huge distress’ to families with autistic children, Dundalk TD Ruairí Ó Murchú has said.

The Sinn Féin TD was speaking in Leinster House last week during Questions on Policy or Legislation and raised the difficulty for autistic children and their families in accessing necessary mental health services after a meeting of the all-party parliamentary group on autism, of which he is a member, with Families for Reform of CAMHS.

Deputy Ó Murchú said: ‘ We all know the ping-pong game that has existed between disability services and CAMHS.

‘At times, it has been a case of no room at the inn if somebody has autism. I was told that the autism protocol was meant to deal with this but my understanding is it is not in operation across all community healthcare organisations, CHOs and that is something that needs to happen.

Another issue is CAMHS intellectual disability teams.

‘Since September 2021, if a child has an intellectual disability, a regular CAMHS team will not see him or her.

‘ There are ten consultants, some of whom have no CAMHS team or only one or two. These are all issues that need to be dealt with. I will use the example of a 12-year-old child with autism. All private assessments have stated the child has ADHD but that child cannot get an assessment anywhere, which is necessary’.

Minister of State Mary Butler said she could not comment on individual cases, but stated that ‘a huge amount of work has been done to reduce the CAMHS waiting list’.

Minister Butler said: ‘I have to be very clear, and I have said this several times on the floor of the House, that CAMHS support is only needed for approximately 2% of children.

‘ Those children have a primary diagnosis of a mental health issue. Some children, for example, do not have such a diagnosis but have severe autism issues. That is where the difficulties arise.

‘I have met with Families for Reform of CAMHS and attended the autism committee. The HSE is currently working on a programme to support these families.

‘On the additional €10 million that has been allocated, all of that money will be spent on youth mental health. The provision of a mental health intellectual disability MHID, team is included in that’.