Sinn Féin’s Mental Health spokesperson says a review into Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in North Kerry must hold the HSE to account.
A planned sample audit of 50 random files from North Kerry CAMHS is currently ongoing, and is due to be completed by the end of next month.
It follows the publication of the Maskey report, which found significant harm was caused to 46 children in South Kerry, due to inappropriate medication being prescribed by a junior doctor.
The HSE has confirmed a file screening, separate to the sample audit, is taking place to find files of North Kerry CAMHS patients who were treated by this same junior doctor.
Dublin Mid-West TD Mark Ward, the spokesperson on mental health for Sinn Féin, says the review into North Kerry CAMHS must be comprehensive.
He says it must include patients who were transferred from North Kerry CAMHS to South Kerry CAMHS.
Deputy Ward highlighted the case of one patient, initially treated by North Kerry CAMHS, who was prescribed medication, before being transferred to South Kerry CAMHS, where the patient was taken off this medication.
The Sinn Féin TD says the review must investigate where the same supervising doctors had roles in both North and South Kerry, and what similarities led to a lack of governance oversight.
He adds people at the heart of this within the HSE must be held accountable, to safeguard children from future mistreatment.
Meanwhile, the HSE has responded to reports that the file of a patient treated by North Kerry CAMHS went missing, after the patient’s parent asked questions about their treatment.
The HSE told Radio Kerry News that it cannot comment on individual cases, but if a file goes missing, its Data Protection Policy is activated, the Data Protection Commissioner is sent a report, and the patient is contacted.
The HSE also says that if a person has concerns about their medication, they should talk to their doctor or treating team.
It comes as 843 children or teenagers across the Kerry/Cork region are currently on the waiting list for mental health treatment.
Figures released to Labour TD for Cork East Seán Sherlock show that 178 teenagers and children across the two counties have been on this waiting list for more than 12 months.
