Refusal rate for CAHMS in West exceeding 40% this year

The rate of refusal for Child and Adolescent Mental Health services in the West is exceeding 40 percent so far this year.

Nationally, more than half of children referred to their local CAHMS were refused access this year – that’s around 4,000 children.

The Irish Independent analysis has found the average national refusal rate has increased by 10 percent over the past three years.

The paper’s analysis outlines how refusal rates for CAHMS vary depending on where in the country you are.

In 2020 and 2021, the refusal rate across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon stood at around 30 percent.

It crept closer to 40 percent in 2022, and has already exceeded 40 percent in 2023.

This year’s highest refusal rate of 54 percent can be found across South Tipperary, Carlow/Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford.

In response, the HSE has stated that ‘every effort is made to prioritise referrals so that high-risk presentations are responded to as soon as possible’

It added that around 30 percent of referrals are ‘inappropriate for the service’ and do not meeting criteria set up in the CAHMS guidelines.