One-in-ten mental health appointments for children and adolescents went unattended last year.
According to figures, obtained by Newstalk through a Freedom of Information request, nearly 21,000 HSE Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) appointments were not taken up or cancelled ahead of time.
More than 2,500 children were waiting for a CAMHS appointment at the end of 2018. More than half of these were waiting longer than three months.
Appointments that are not cancelled cannot be offered to other patients.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, one mother whose child was accessing the service, voiced her anger at the no-shows.
She said mental health services are stretched around the country and families are faced with waiting lists that can be months if not years long.
“CAMHS has an awful backlog – and we are not the only family that was in that position,” she said.
“To think that some people who have the gift of actually getting into CAMHS – getting their appointment – then just don’t bother showing for them?
“I am speechless.”
The figures also revealed that nearly 8,000 first-time appointments with the HSEs adult mental health services went unattended and were not cancelled.
The figure makes up 22.5% of the health services available appointments.
The figures for missed appointments in adult mental health services were broadly in line with the previous four years.
The percentage of “did not attends” for CAMHS appointments is down from 12.15 in 2014.
Reporting from Sarah Madden
