The Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, has welcomed progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the Maskey Report.
Anne O’Connor, Chief Operations Officer, HSE, and Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE chair an Oversight Group overseeing, monitoring, and reporting on implementation. The group has met four times to date and will continue to meet regularly to ensure timely progress on implementation within an overall framework.
The framework is made up of 63 actions, the majority of which have already begun to be implemented.
Minister Butler said,“The HSE are wholly committed to implementation of all 35 recommendations, as well as the additional actions they will undertake at my request. I requested an audit of prescribing practice and following intensive discussions with the HSE, I am pleased to report that an expert team, chaired by Dr Collette Halpin, has been established.
“The independent team, also include Dr Imelda Whyte and Dr. Suzanne McCarthy, is supported by the HSE National Centre for Clinical Audit. The team are finalising the process and methodology. They expect to report in Q4 2022. Proposals for the audit of compliance with CAMHS operational guidelines are being procured. Once they are assessed, a successful provider will be chosen. They’ll be asked to complete the audit within six months of appointment.”
The Minister added, “On the qualitative research into CAMHS experiences, work is at an advanced stage. HSE is engaging with an academic partner and they are at an advanced stage. The research will require ethical approval. It’s expected that this work can be completed within six months of confirmation of approval.
“Finally, in parallel with ongoing efforts to implement the Maskey Report, CAMHS teams over the past number of weeks have actively engaged with and assisted Dr. Susan Finnerty and the Mental Health Commission in conducting an independent review of CAMHS provision, as announced by the Commission in February this year.”
Minister Butler concluded, “I will continue to work closely with the HSE as the progress implementation. Together, we can rebuild trust in our child and adolescent mental health services and do justice to the hard work and commitment of mental health staff throughout the country.”