Deputy Michael Healy Rae has charged the HSE with a failure to do better when it comes to Kerry children who are availing of essential psychology services after it was revealed to him that at least 467 Kerry children are still waiting psychology services.
While no records are available from the Disability Services as they do not gather data which would reveal an actual number awaiting their services when it comes to children.
The information became available by way of a reply from Hugh Scully, acting general manager of Mental Health Services Cork Kerry Community Healthcare following a parliamentary question by the Kerry TD.
Still Talking About Improvements
“I find it frustrating that we are six months on from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) services fiasco which visited so much pain and hardship on parents and children and here we are still talking about an improved need to do better rather than just doing better,” said Deputy Healy Rae.
He also admitted that he was terribly disappointed in the HSE attempts to recruit the proper people for CAMHS services with a number of prominent posts as yet unfilled.
Clients Still Waiting
“While North Kerry CAMHS has doubled their staffing Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) from one position to two, some clients are still waiting four weeks for an assessment.
Meanwhile in South Kerry CAMHS following the resignation of the senior psychologist on the South Kerry team the HSE has admitted that they have failed to attract even a single applicant for the post,” Deputy Michael Healy Rae said.
Extensive Demands on Service
The HSE admitted that there are 448 children on the Kerry Primary Care Child, Adolescent and Family Psychology Service with a further 19 CAMHS clients awaiting an appointment due to staff shortages and extensive demands on the service.
Deputy Michael Healy Rae has urged the Minister for Health to do a lot better for the children of Kerry and to ensure that vacant posts are filled as quickly as possible.
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