Latest news with #CAMHS
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Suicide-risk young daughter was refused NHS mental-health counselling because she goes to private school, mother claims
A suicidal young girl was refused NHS mental-health counselling because she attends private school, her mother claims. Because the youngster was being bullied at a state school, her despairing parents had only just moved her to a private school. But when she was finally assessed by mental-health services at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust after months on the waiting list, her mother claims she was told: 'If you can afford private school fees, you can afford private counselling.' The woman, from Somerset, who wishes to remain anonymous to avoid further prejudice towards her daughter, said: 'I was shocked and incensed. 'I was even told that if I had kept my daughter at a state school, they would have helped her. It's blatant discrimination.' The girl, now 12, had been diagnosed as autistic a year earlier, but her symptoms had become more severe and her mental health had deteriorated. She was referred to the Child and Adult Mental Health Service (CAMHS), which is part of the NHS, for help with her anxiety while she waited for treatment for her autism. Her mother said: 'I couldn't work any more because I was looking after my daughter and fighting to get her the care she needed. My husband works in construction. 'We are not rich. The only reason we moved her to a prep school is because we inherited a small amount of money, and we were so worried about her going downhill in her previous school.' She said that after being bullied, her daughter was at a 'very low ebb', adding: 'It culminated in her wanting to kill herself. 'I was even worried about leaving her alone upstairs.' After months on the CAMHS waiting list the woman and her daughter had a video-call assessment with a senior mental health practitioner. The mother said: 'We were desperate, but she spent ten minutes talking to my daughter and it was clear she wasn't interested. She displayed no empathy whatsoever. 'She said that if we could afford private school fees we could afford to pay for private counselling. It was such an arrogant attitude. 'She assumed we were rich – we aren't. We pay our taxes, and the NHS should provide for all children.' Her GP received a letter from the CAMHS practitioner written on the same day, that said: 'Based on the additional information gathered, we will be closing the referral to CAMHS.' The mother said: 'They failed our child. I remember her sneering tone.' Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said: 'There is no policy, formal or informal, to exclude children who attend private schools.' It follows last week's Mail on Sunday exclusive about an eight-year-old boy in Richmond, south-west London, who was refused an NHS assessment for a disabling joint condition because he went to a private school. Last night, Kingston and Richmond NHS Trust said it was investigating.
Sunday World
10-06-2025
- Sunday World
Joseph McGinty: Brave Donegal woman waives anonymity to name cousin who sexually assaulted her
Joseph McGinty sneaked into the girl's room and touched her on the bottom beneath her nightdress and then touched her breast area. A young Co Donegal woman has said she will not allow a sex assault on her to define her as her older cousin was jailed for 15 months for the crime. Brave Louise McMenamin waived her anonymity so her cousin Joseph McGinty could be named in court. Ms McMenamin was just 10 and McGinty was aged 14 when he assaulted her during a sleepover at her home. McGinty, now 27, had pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Louise McMenamin on an unknown date between June 1st and September 1st, 2012. However, after a three day trial at Donegal Circuit Court, McGinty was found guilty by a jury of the allegation. McGinty, from Ballyshannon, was accused of touching the then ten year old girl on her bum and beneath her breast area while he was visiting the girl in her house on a sleepover. McGinty sneaked into the girl's room and touched her on the bottom beneath her nightdress and then touched her breast area. Details of the incident were given at the sentencing hearing by Garda Catherine Henry of Ballyshannon Garda Station. Joseph McGinty News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday June 10 After touching the young girl on her bum and under her chest, the court heard the young girl woke up and McGinty, with an address at Abberlands, Ballyshannon, hid down behind the bed and she could hear him breathing. She initially pretended to be asleep but when he got up to leave she asked him what he was doing in her room. The girl immediately went downstairs and told her father what had happened and he took the girl into her mother and a complaint was later made. The victim, who told the court that she wanted to be named so that McGinty could be named also, read a heart-wrenching victim impact statement about how the episode had impacted her life so deeply in so many negative ways. But Ms Louise McMenamin also told McGinty how she has now "been courageous enough to hold you accountable, seek justice and stand up to you." She outlined the night she was set upon as a child in detail as she fought back tears in the witness box. She told how she has spent years in therapy with both the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and also the Rape Crisis Centre (RCC) trying to remedy her anxiety and depression but that she still cannot tell herself that she is no longer in danger and safe from McGinty. She added "What you did to me, as a helpless 10 year old child has shaped the young woman I am now, and I hate that you have that power. I will always wonder, and never have the answers, about the person I would have been if you had not taken advantage of me at my most vulnerable. "It has changed the way I look at the world, the way I look at people. You knew right from wrong, and the poor decision you made that night has left me with a lifetime of fallout. I still experience crippling anxiety if I meet you in public, and although I now face up to you as an adult, it is the child in me that has suffered this pain that you caused that I am fighting for. "I have carried the guilt of this burden for almost 13 years. The guilt of getting into trouble, the guilt of taking our cousins and extended family away from my brothers, the guilt of knowing that my parents feel like they have failed me. The guilt of missing valuable years without grandparents, the guilt of isolating myself from family and friends that did stand by me. The guilt of still letting this, letting you, control me and so much of my life all these years later. "I am choosing now to no longer carry this guilt, because it is not mine. You caused this, the weight of it has been suffocating and made me feel worthless, I will leave it behind." Ms McMenamin said there were times when questioned if she would be strong enough to face her abuser. But, she added, at aged 23 years, she is thankful that she fought her corner, told her truth and sought justice. And she thanked all those who stood beside her as she sought that justice and revealed how she is now graduating from university. She concluded "This may seem a short incident, but it has been my whole life from the night it took place. I do not deserve to feel this way anymore, I want to move on and start living my life for me, with this chapter closed. "I did not deserve to suffer due to your actions, to be shunned by our family for telling the truth and miss out on so many opportunities because of fear. I will no longer carry the shame of what you put me through, because I did nothing wrong. "It may have taken years, but I have realised that I am so much more than what you did to me. I cannot undo what you have done, and this will always be part of me, but I will not let it define me. "I survived what happened, and I will be a voice for other girls. I will not collapse under this trauma. I will continue to show bravery, move on and make younger me proud of the woman I have become, despite all the obstacles in my way." Joseph McGinty. Photo: North West Newspix The mother of Joseph McGinty also took to the witness stand and told how the incident had had a massive impact on both families. She said that as a mother and an aunt she recognised "the trauma that both of these children have been through." She added that their grandparents had passed away with this matter on their minds. Mrs McGinty said she empathised with the trauma that Louise had suffered but that she was asking the court for leniency for her son. She reflected on how her son had grown up from being a happy boy to waking up with nightmares and being prescribed anti-depressant medication and developing severe eczema. However, he went through college and qualified as a civil engineer who is a popular worker within his company who has the full support of his boss. Mrs McGinty added that her son also respects the verdict of the jury in his case. Barrister for the accused, Mr Colm Smyth, SC, said this was indeed a tragic case which has had a debilitating effect on the extended families. Ms Smyth said it has been recognised the trauma which the victim has gone through but he said his client had suffered too and asked the court to take into account that the offence was committed when he was fourteen years old. He added that the level of maturity must come into play and he produced case law on this aspect of the case. He said McGinty respects the verdict of the court and has the capacity to take it in that time period but again stressed his client was at a very early stage of his development, either sexual or otherwise, at the time. He asked the court to consider a non-custodial sentence given the particular circumstances adding that McGinty has already suffered considerably and has carried the burden since his conviction. Passing sentence, Judge John Aylmer said the aggravating factors in the case was that the victim was only ten years old at the time and the "very severe impact" the offending has had on her as he made reference to her victim impact statement. He referred to the consequences of the assault and how Ms McMenamin still suffered and had to engage in counselling to cope with anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder right throughout her education and has bravely struggled with all those effects. The Judge said he had to decide what the headline sentence for McGinty should be before factoring in that he was only 14 years at the time and said that if it was an adult who snuck into the bedroom then without hesitation he would impose a sentence of three years in prison. He added the law establishes the fact that the accused was 14 years old although he added that there was no evidence as to how sophisticated a young man he was in his development. The fact that he snuck in and sought to commit the offence when Ms McMenamin was asleep and then hid behind the bed when she woke up, indicated that he had full awareness of what he was doing, added Judge Aylmer. He said this was the only evidence he had to make a determination as to the accused's culpability. He said he was entitled to have his own experience of life and of fourteen year olds and add that to his assessment, and with the guidance of authorities open to him, Judge Aylmer said he deemed it appropriate to reduce the sentence by 50% to one of 18 months in prison. He added the few mitigating factors that exist mandate a reduction to one of 15 months in prison, a reduction of one sixth. He then said the question then arises if some or all of the sentence could be suspended as McGinty had come before the courts with no previous convictions and having no adverse attention since the incident. He said he had taken into account that he was a minor and allowed him a 50% reduction. Because of the gravity of the case and there is no admission of guilt and no expression of remorse for the victim to avail of, as well as nothing before the court about rehabilitation for you, Judge Aylmer said this is not a case where the court could justify a suspended sentence. He sentenced McGinty to 15 months in prison and placed him on the sex offender's register for a period of five years.
Irish Independent
06-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Cork & Kerry HSE bosses presented with harrowing details of the children ‘falling through the cracks'
Latest HSE Regional Forum hears how parents of children with special and mental health needs are struggling to access a raft of vital services as their loved ones 'regress' Today at 07:00 Harrowing stories, from that of a single parent in Cork whose child has additional needs and has access to just a single hour of respite in a week, to a severely mentally unwell child in West Cork who it's claimed was 'ignored' by CAMHS services, were among those told by representatives at a recent health forum. The plight of children with additional needs across Cork and Kerry has been highlighted at the forum, where the HSE was told that they are being left down by both the Executive and the Department of Education in having access to essential services.
Daily Record
05-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Minister makes Stirling visit as improved CAMHS waiting times hailed
The health board had come under scrutiny for the amount of time children and young people were waiting for mental health support - but data shows an improvement in the last 18 months. Recent steps taken in Forth Valley to cut down on waiting times for children and young people seeking vital mental health support have been praised on a visit by a Scottish Government minister. Waiting times for the region's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services had been a previous area of crisis for local health chiefs, with ministers placing it into direct oversight over a number of concerns, including the state of the CAMHS offering. At that point in November 2022, more than 40 per cent of those still waiting for assessment by CAMHS had been doing so for more than a year. But following concerted efforts and a new plan to tackle the service's waiting times, the most recent figures for the first quarter of 2025 have revealed a major turnaround, with no patients now waiting more than the national standard of 18 weeks for support. The local data for the period between January and March this year also outlined that a whopping 99.1 per cent of those starting treatment in the last three months had only been waiting a maximum of 18 weeks to do so. On a visit to the Stirling Health and Care Village on Tuesday, the Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd met with families making use of the service, as well as staff and NHS Forth Valley's Allan Rennie and Helena Marshall. During the visit, Ms Todd said: 'We want all children and young people to be able to access appropriate mental health treatment as and when they need to, and this continued progress on waiting times is testament to the hard-working staff who care for those referred to these services. 'We have exceeded our promise to provide funding for 320 additional staff for CAMHS by 2026 and this will no doubt have contributed to the improvements we are seeing but I am well aware there is still much to be done if this is to be sustained and consistent across Scotland. 'However, we are on the right path and the £123.5 million we have allocated to NHS Boards this year will mean the quality and delivery of all mental health services – including CAMHS - will continue to improve.' The turnaround in CAMHS provision has been linked to a 'radical new approach' made in Forth Valley - including the introduction of a Choice and Partnership (CAPA) approach aimed at increasing the range of treatment options available, maximising capacity and improve the management and monitoring of demand and capacity. Lesley Dunabie, Department Manager and Head of Nursing for NHS Forth Valley CAMHS, said: 'We are delighted that the changes introduced by local staff over the last 18 months have made such a positive impact to our waiting times and significantly improved the services and support available for children and young people with serious mental illness. 'We are committed to building on this by continuing to develop and improve local services for children and young people and working with a wide range of partners to help increase access to support in local schools and communities at an earlier stage.'
STV News
03-06-2025
- Business
- STV News
'Extremely alarming': 164 children waiting over a year for mental health care
There are 164 children who have been waiting more than a year for mental health services in Scotland – marking a 20% increase from this time last year. An additional 253 young people have been waiting between nine months and a year for treatment with NHS Scotland's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The Scottish Children's Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers, called the figures 'extremely alarming'. 'Each one of these statistics is an individual, and we would urge the Scottish Government to ensure the adequate resourcing of mental health services for our children and young people so that they can get the care and support they need, without lengthy waits,' a spokesperson for the SCSC said. 'We are facing a mental health emergency, and many of our children and young people are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels as they battle with the long shadow of lockdown and the rising cost of living. 'This is also having a negative impact on classroom behaviour, affecting the young people concerned, their fellow pupils and staff.' Although Public Health Scotland has insisted that the number of children starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral is improving, the number of people waiting for over 18 weeks has increased across the board since December 2024. From December 2024 to March 2025, the number of children waiting over a year has increased from 145 to 164. Since March 2024, that figure has risen from 137. The number of children waiting between five and nine months has also increased since December from 424 to 499. The only category that's fallen is the number of children waiting between nine months and a year – from 283 to 253. Most of the children who have been waiting for more than 12 months are in the NHS Lothian district. NHS Lothian has the highest number of children on the CAMHS waitlist of any other health board, and it accounts for 88% of the children waiting more than a year for treatment. NHS Lothian has been contacted for comment. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
