A major review of cases at a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) facility in the south-west will take a year longer than initially expected. The delay comes as sources said that since the probe began at North Kerry Camhs, a significant number of service users have received apologies about the standard of their care.
Consultant psychiatrist Colette Halpin was appointed to lead the review in June last year, and a first phase, involving the examination of around 300 files, was expected to have been completed by the end of last December. However, that deadline came and went and The HSE has now revised the likely completion date to the end of this year, a full 12 months longer than first expected.
“We regret that this process is taking longer than we initially hoped, but it is important that both we and Dr Halpin’s team are assured that the review of each file is receiving the expert input needed,” the HSE said in a statement.
All files open at North Kerry Camhs as of November 21, 2022 are subject to the review. It was launched against the backdrop of the scandal at the neighbouring South Kerry Camhs unit involving diagnostic failings and the inappropriate prescribing of anti-psychotic medication. A report found 240 children there received “risky” treatment. In 46 of those cases there was proof of significant harm.
Issues uncovered included weight gain, sedation, elevated blood pressure and galactorrhoea – the production of breast milk. Most of the cases were attributed to a barely supervised junior doctor, David Kromer, who is under investigation by the Medical Council. Dr Kromer has said he always acted with the best of intentions for his patients.
North Kerry Review: A Response to Concerns
Amid similar concern in North Kerry, a random audit was conducted of 50 files in 2022. Issues were found in 16 cases, including some relating to prescribing practices and clinical concerns about the professional practice of a different clinician who is not practising at this time. The results of that audit prompted the setting up of the Halpin review.
According to sources, a significant number of apologies have been issued by the HSE at “open disclosure” meetings, based on preliminary findings made by Dr Halpin’s team. The HSE said open disclosure meetings had been taking place since last December, but would not confirm the number of apologies issued.
“While the review process is under way, we cannot share any further details about the number of meetings scheduled or the content of these meetings,” it said. “We will continue to communicate directly with the young people whose files are involved, and their families. Our priority is to keep these young people and their families updated.”
The statement said that whether there would be a further phase to the review would be determined by Dr Halpin’s report and recommendations.
Growing Pressure for Redress
The reported level of apologies being issued is likely to spark renewed calls for the extension of the Halpin review to look at files covering a longer period. It will also increase pressure for a new redress scheme or the expansion of an existing scheme in place for victims of the South Kerry Camhs scandal. More than 200 applications have been made to the South Kerry scheme, with the largest settlement so far, for €200,000, being approved by the High Court last April. It was made in favour of a girl who suffered from anxiety, self-harm and bulimia as a consequence of being inappropriately prescribed anti-psychotic medication by Dr Kromer.
The extended timeline and the increasing number of apologies issued raise serious questions about the care provided at North Kerry CAMHS. The HSE’s commitment to transparency and accountability will be tested as the review progresses and the potential for a new redress scheme is explored.
