Psychiatrists demand assurances over child mental health targets

Psychiatrists have demanded assurances that waiting times targets for specialist mental health services for children and young people will be met, as they hit out at the “postcode lottery” for treatment.

With new figures showing a drop in the numbers being seen within the 18-week target time, the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland said that “yet again the Scottish Government has fallen far short on their own targets”.

Dr Helen Smith, the chair of the CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) faculty at the College, said they now needed “firm assurances” from ministers about how these targets would be met and “not just a sticking plaster”.

Dr Smith spoke out as new figures showed that in the period April to June this year 68.4% of children and young people were seen within 18 weeks of being referred – down from from  73.2% in the previous three months and less than the 72.5%  record in April to June 2021.

The Scottish Government’s target is for 90% of children and young people to start treatment within 18 weeks of being referred to CAMHS for help.

A total of 5,230 children and young people started getting treatment in the period April to June – up from 5,016 in the first three months of this year.

At the end of June 2022 there were 9,729 children and young people who were waiting to start treatment, down from 10,346 at the end of March.

Dr Smith said the latest figures showed that “yet again the Scottish Government has fallen far short on their own targets, when it comes to the mental health of our children and young people”.

She added: “We’re already dealing with a postcode lottery of CAMHS services and we need firm assurances about how targets will be met – not just a sticking plaster.”

Dr Smith said that a “lack of clarity on funding means attracting news staff and retaining those employees becomes more difficult”.

She added: “The CAMHS workforce continues to be expected to meet increased demand for support with the same the capacity.

“We need investment in mental health support services at all levels needs to be sustained and planned.

“After coming out of a pandemic and with all the problems the cost-of-living crisis will have on people’s mental health, we need the Scottish Government to focus on CAMHS and outline how they will meet their own target by 2026.”

Scottish Labour mental health spokesperson Carol Mochan said the “disastrous figures” showed “urgent action” was needed.

She stated: “Mental health services are at crisis point and things are getting worse instead of better, despite the tireless efforts of dedicated NHS staff.

“Even before the pandemic, children and young people were tragically losing their lives to poor mental health, and now another generation is being failed by woeful mental health services.

“We have a duty to give people the support they need, when they need it. Every person in Scotland has the right to expect the very best care. We are desperately far from it under this Government.”

Mental wellbeing minister Kevin Stewart said NHS boards were “working hard to clear their backlogs and to see those who have waited the longest first”.

He stated: “There has been an 8.6% decrease in those waiting over 18 weeks since the last quarter.

“Dealing with the backlog first impacts on waiting times performance – however, it is a crucial step towards improving waiting times in the longer term.”

The minister continued: “Long waits are unacceptable and we remain committed to meeting the standard that 90% of people begin treatment in CAMHS within 18 weeks of referral, by March 2023.

“We invested £40 million in CAMHS in 2021/22, with £4.25 million of that allocation directly focused on offering treatment to those already on CAMHS waiting lists.

“We are now starting to see the impact of that investment, with the latest national performance data showing that over 5,200 children and young people began treatment last quarter, a record and sustained high level of activity.

“We are targeting tailored support towards those Boards with the longest waits, providing access to professional advice, to ensure that they have robust improvement plans in place and will closely monitor their progress.”