HSE admits to ongoing problems with provision of child mental health service

THE HSE has admitted to ongoing problems with the provision of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services ( CAMHS) in the North West region. In a response to The Sligo Champion, a statement was issued yesterday afternoon ( Monday).

It stated: “There is a current vacancy for a lead Consultant Psychiatrist. The recruitment/ retention of Child and Adolescent Consultant Psychiatrist’s for the service in Sligo/ Leitrim is a challenge. This is not a resource issue but it reflects a national shortage of Consultant Psychiatrists.” It also gave a picture of just how stretched the service is with huge numbers of troubled teens looking to access it: “There are approximately 30 children per month referred to the service. As of today ( 20th February 2017) there are 348 live cases with the service.”

The statement went on to say: “The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services ( CAMHS) team which currently covers Sligo/ Leitrim is made up of the following professionals: Consultant Psychiatrist, NCHD Registrar, Nurse, Nurse/ Family Therapist, Nurse/ Team Co- ordinator, Clinical Senior Psychologist, Clinical Basic grade Psychologist, Senior Occupational therapist, Basic grade Occupational Therapist, Two Social Workers , Social worker/ Family Therapist, Social Care Leader, Senior Speech and Language Therapist, Basic grade Speech and Language Therapist, Development Manager and two Administration staff.

“The above information reflects the current position with staffing at February 2017 and is subject to ongoing change with recruitment and/ or retirement,” it concluded.