MWCH Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Candidate Camhs Eating Disorders

This post will be located within the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in HSE Mid West.

It is well recognised that, in order to become healthy individuals, children need safety and security within their primary relationships, opportunities to play and learn, and the positive self-esteem that comes from knowing they are valued and cherished by families and friends (A Vision for Change, 2006).

According to the document A National Model of Care for Paediatric Healthcare Services in Ireland, the response to children’s mental health needs requires consideration of a variety of services at different levels. These range from early intervention and health promotion programmes to primary and community care services and specialist mental health services for the treatment of more serious mental illness.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are provided in a wide range of hospital and community based locations. Hospital services include Emergency Department, Acute Admission. In patient Units, Intensive Treatment units. Community based Mental Health Services include: Home Care Teams, Assertive Outreach, Early Intervention Services, Day Hospital Services and Intellectual Disability services.

The HSE Mid West Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is currently delivered by seven multi-disciplinary teams across Limerick, Clare & North Tipperary with a seventh team currently in development. A Regional Headquarters incorporating a new Day Hospital is in development also at present.

As per the recommendations in A Vision for Change (AVfC, HSE, 2006) the population of CHO 3 (< 400,000) recommends that there would be < eight, thirteen-member community based CAMHS multi-disciplinary teams (MDT),one Hub, one Paediatric Liaison CAMHS team and one CAMHS-Mental Health Intellectual Disability (CAMHS-MHID) Team.

Multi-disciplinary community-based CAMHS teams in HSE Mid West area provide assessment and treatment for children presenting with moderate and severe mental health issues. Together with assessment a range of therapies and interventions are provided including play therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, family therapy, parenting groups, psychopharmacology, behavioural interventions, individual psychotherapy, group work and other structured therapeutic interventions.

Sharing the Vision (DOH, 2020) and Eating Disorder Services: HSE Model of Care for Ireland (2018) have designated this CAMHS for the development of an Eating Disorder mini-hub team to be developed under funding projected for 2023.

The person appointed to this post will work within this CAMHS as part of the services to be developed for children and adolescents presenting with eating disorders.

Informal Enquiries:

Maureen Tierney, Assistant Director of Nursing, Child & Adolescent Midwest Mental Health Services, Rosbrien, Limerick

Email maureen.tierney@hse.ie

Tel (061) 483388 Mob (087) 601 8502