Three in 10 youngsters needing mental health help not seen within target time

Almost a third of youngsters needing specialist help with their mental health waited longer than the target time for treatment, “extremely alarming” figures have shown.

Official statistics showed at the end of September there were 8,331 children and young people waiting to start receiving help from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

The waiting list was down from the 9,729 recorded at the end of June and the 11,785 at the end of September 2021.

Meanwhile, a total of 4,990 youngsters started receiving CAMHS treatment in the period July to September – with this down from from 5,205 in the previous quarter but up by 30.2% on the 3,833 who started treatment in July to September 2021.

Of those who did start getting help, the Public Health Scotland figures showed 67.9% had been seen within 18 weeks of being referred for help – well below the Scottish Government standard of having 90% begin treatment within this time.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition called for more funding to be allocated to CAMHS services, as it said it was “extremely alarming” that almost a third of youngsters were waiting longer than the target time.

A spokesperson for the group said: “The latest figures, highlighting that a third of children and young people are not being seen within the Scottish Government’s 18-week waiting time target, are extremely alarming.

“Since the pandemic, demand on services has increased and the cost-of-living crisis is only going to make matters worse, creating a potential lost generation of vulnerable children and young people.

“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 because of the effect of the cost-of-living crisis.

“However, this concerningly comes against a background of a proposed cut to mental health budgets, meaning that some of our children and young people simply won’t get the help they desperately need, with potentially catastrophic consequences.

“We would urge the Scottish Government to reconsider its proposed cuts to the mental health budget and make this a budget for mental health.”

Opposition politicians also demanded action from the Scottish Government, with Conservative mental wellbeing spokesperson Sue Webber branding the latest CAMHS figures as being “nothing short of disgraceful”.

She added: “For almost one third of our young people to not be seen within the SNP’s own treatment target time is hugely concerning.

“More and more vulnerable children and young people are finding it increasingly hard to access crucial mental health services as quickly as possible on the SNP’s watch.

“Even before the Covid pandemic, ministers had consistently failed to meet their own targets for young people to be seen on time.

“Lockdowns and other restrictions only heightened the mental health crisis among our young people and it is clear the SNP have completely taken their eye off the ball in relation to this crisis.”

Labour’s mental health spokesperson, Carol Mochan, said the “disastrous” figures showed that “mental health services in Scotland are in a tailspin”.

She added: “SNP inaction has forced these services to crisis point – with the most vulnerable in our society bearing the brunt.

“It is all too clear that the young people of Scotland are being failed by this do-nothing Health Secretary and his invisible colleague, Kevin Stewart.

“We now risk an entire generation being failed by SNP inaction to support CAMHS services.”

Mental Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “Boards are working hard to clear their backlogs and to see those who have waited the longest first. There has been an 15.9% decrease in those waiting over 18 weeks since the last quarter.

“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 focussed on offering treatment to those already on CAMHS waiting lists.

“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.”

“We are now starting to see the impact of that investment, with the latest national performance data showing that over 4,990 children and young people began treatment last quarter, the second highest number of children starting treatment, behind only the previous quarter.”