Risk of moderate or major harm in more than half of cases investigated at North Kerry Camhs

"The finding was made in respect of 197 out of 374 case files - a rate of 53pc - reviewed by a team a consultant psychiatrists. Five of these cases were considered to be "major" and the remainder "moderate". The review also found that 79pc of service users were prescribed psychotropic medication, an unusually high rate. In comparison, a HSE national prescribing audit in 2023 came back with a rate of 39pc."

""Polypharmacy, the prescription of two or more drugs simultaneously, was also noted to be a concerning feature," the report said. Also highlighted were failures in compliance with recommended physical health assessment and monitoring and a disproportionately low rate of individual or family psychotherapeutic interventions. The worrying conclusions were revealed in a review report circulated to service users and their families this morning."

197 of 374 case files (53%) contained clinical concerns, with five classified as major and the remainder moderate. 79% of service users were prescribed psychotropic medication, markedly above the 39% national HSE prescribing audit rate in 2023. Polypharmacy, the simultaneous prescription of two or more drugs, was identified as a concerning feature. Failures were found in compliance with recommended physical health assessment and monitoring. Individual and family psychotherapeutic interventions occurred at a disproportionately low rate. The cases reviewed were those open on November 21, 2022, following regional concerns about diagnostic failings and inappropriate antipsychotic prescribing.

Read at Irish Independent