Over 80 Mayo children awaiting CAMHS appointments but HSE has no information on waiting times
At the end of January, 84 children and young people in Mayo were waiting for an appointment with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
The figure was provided in response to a question from Cllr Michael Loftus at the HSE West and North West Regional Health Forum meeting.
The total included 11 cases in north Mayo and 73 cases in the south of the county, which led Cllr Loftus to question the disparity between the two areas.
In response, Mary Warde, Integrated Health Area Manager for Mayo, said the difference was due to “instability in the workforce” in south Mayo.
“We were waiting to appoint a new consultant, they have now been appointed, and the team under them are all in permanent posts,” she explained and added that the number should reduce accordingly.
Ms Warde said it was important to note that the complexity of cases being referred to CAMHS has increased, and that the population in south Mayo is larger.
At the same meeting, both Cllr Loftus and Cllr Michael Kilcoyne sought data on waiting times for CAMHS appointments.
However, they were informed that there is currently no electronic Patient Administration System in place for CAMHS, and that HSE West and North West do not have waiting-time data available, as it is “not feasible within the current resource allocation”.
Ms Warde acknowledged this has been an ongoing issue nationally, but said plans are in place to introduce a system “in the near future” that will track waiting times.
“I can assure you that we have an active waiting list management system, regularly reviewing the clinical priority of referrals,” she said in her response.
Cllr Kilcoyne said he “failed to understand” how the HSE could not provide waiting-time data, particularly given that figures on the number of young people on waiting lists were available.
He said the lack of data makes it more difficult to plan staffing and allocate resources effectively.
“Above any group of people, and there are many who do need help from the HSE, I think that the delay in the CAMHS system is terrible,
“They are the future generation, and young people should expect a much higher standard than the standard they are getting,” he said.
CAMHS services are delivered through Community Mental Health Teams, which operate as multidisciplinary units led by consultant CAMHS psychiatrists. All referrals are triaged on receipt and assigned to team members.
Where necessary, waiting lists for access to these teams are maintained and compiled on a monthly basis by each multidisciplinary team.
The HSE said it has received funding from the national CAMHS Waiting List Initiative for 2026, and expects this to help address priority referrals on the waiting list.
However, waiting lists for new referrals continue to grow due to increased demand and ongoing recruitment challenges.
Cllr Loftus had also asked for figures on the average waiting time for access to Adult Community Mental Health Teams in Mayo and was told it currently stands at six weeks.
He was informed that urgent appointments are offered within one to two days, while emergency assessments are available 24 hours a day at the emergency department in Mayo University Hospital (MUH).
However, Cllr Loftus raised concerns about relying on the hospital’s emergency department for mental health care.
He said it was not an appropriate setting for those who need specialised support and also warned that this risks “clogging up” an already overcrowded service
His comments come amid MUH issuing warnings this week that its emergency department is extremely busy and that some elective procedures will be deferred as a result.
On Monday, March 23, the department recorded 160 patient presentations.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.