Bree claims it’s unacceptable that a referral can be made to CAMHS in another county after ‘political intervention’

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Regional Health Forum Cllr Declan Bree once again raised the issue of the lack of a child and adolescent health service intellectual disability (CAMHS ID) service in Sligo and Leitrim.

He pointed to a recent case of a parent from Sligo making contact with the Tanaiste and Minister for Health and shortly afterwards the child in question was referred to the Camhs ID Consultant in Mayo/Roscommon.

Cllr Bree expressed his frustration at the ongoing situation and took issue with the answer he received when he asked, “Can children on the waiting list in Sligo be referred for appointment and assessment to the CAMHS ID Service in other counties in the region.”

In reply to this query he was told, “There is no formal arrangement for children to be referred for appointment and assessment to CAMHS ID in other counties.”

Addressing the meeting in relation to the matter, Cllr Bree said the answer he received is what he and parents in the county have been told for years but he believes the Forum is being “mislead”.

“That is what parents in Sligo-Leitrim, who have been crying out for appointments and assessment for their children have been told over the years, and that is what I was told.

"In fact I recollect highlighting the case of a child, at a meeting of this Forum in February of 2024, who was referred to the CAMHS team by his GP, his consultant paediatrician, and his psychologist. However the CAMHS team in Sligo refused to see him on the basis that he has a severe to profound intellectual disability and therefore needed to be referred to a CAMHS ID team.

" As there was no CAMHS ID service in Sligo his paediatrician then wrote to the CAMHS ID service in Galway seeking assistance but the boy was refused service as he was not in the Galway catchment area. "However, I must point out Chair, that once again this Forum is being mislead. "Senior HSE officials in the region are well aware that while officially there is no arrangement in place to refer children from Sligo and Leitrim for appointment and assessment to CAMHS ID Services in other areas, there is an actual mechanism in place, and that is a political mechanism.”

While it was stated there is no process for referral to a different region, Cllr Bree pointed out that the system can be bypassed by individuals with no medical expertise, noting the intervention of senior politicians can result in a child being granted a much needed referral.

"While referrals from paediatricians, psychologists and general practitioners are not accepted by the HSE, the reality is that referrals from politicians, or from specific senior politicians with no medical background are accepted.

"I have only recently come across a case where a parent from Sligo, having failed to have her child referred to a Camhs ID service via the official medical route, contacted her local TD and met with the Tanaiste and the Minister for Health, and within a short period the Minister for Health arranged for the child to be referred to the Camhs ID Consultant in Mayo/Roscommon.

"So here we have a situation, where the Department of Health and the Minister having failed to provide adequate funding for the provision of a proper Camhs ID service in Sligo; a situation where the Camhs ID Services in other counties have refused to provide a service for children from Sligo as it is outside their catchment area; and yet, the service can be provided when the Minister and her department make the referral.

"Senior officials in the Mental Health Service in the Sligo-Leitrim area are well aware of this but it is clear from the formal reply I have received today and at previous meetings, that such information was not in the public domain.

Cllr Bree insisted that he was sympathetic to the needs of the parents saying, “I fully understand any parent who is crying out for help for a child, bringing the matter to the attention of politicians. "Given the fact that referrals from medical professionals are not accepted by the HSE in this region and given the fact that referrals from the Minister for Health are accepted, I have to ask the question does this occur in other sections of the health service. Can people on waiting lists for medical treatment receive priority treatment if they are referred for the treatment by the Minister?”

Cllr Bree also asked about the staffing levels within the CAMHS ID service in Sligo noting he welcomed the appointment of a Consultant Psychiatrist which was seen as a significant stumbling block to fully implementing the CAMHS ID service locally, but sounded a word of cautions when he said, “It is clear that without a full team the service in Sligo and in Leitrim will not be able to provide the same level of service as CAMHS ID teams in other parts of the country.

"I also note with concern that currently there are no children on the waiting list for appointments and assessment as referrals to the service have not yet commenced and therefore we have no idea of how long children will have to wait for appointments and assessment. Needless to say I will be asking the same questions at the next meeting of the Health Forum.

"Finally I note in the response provided to this meeting, there is no arrangement for children from Sligo and Leitrim to be referred for appointment and assessment to CAMHS ID services in other counties. "I find this very disturbing and indeed unacceptable."

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.