The latest round of CAMHS waiting time figures in Scotland show more children being treated but the target of 90% of referral to specialist CAMHS to be made within 18 weeks is still being missed.
Public Health Scotland data revealed 84.1% of 4,374 children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks, 10.3 percentage points higher than the corresponding quarter for 2023/24 (73.8%). However, 1.9 percentage points below the figure for the previous quarter (86.0%). In the period January to March 2023, almost three-quarters (74.2%) of children and young people were seen within 18 weeks of being referred for specialist help.
The number of children and young people starting treatment was up 7.8% compared to the previous quarter (4,056) and 14.1% lower than the quarter to June 2023 (5,093).
The total number of children and young people waiting for treatment at the end of June 2024 was 4,942, a decrease of 25.9% on the same point in 2023 (6,667). 3,879 of the former group have been waiting for 18 weeks or less, 78.5%.
Dr Kandarp Joshi, Chair of the CAMHS Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, said:
“The sooner young people are able to receive mental health support based on identified needs, the less likely they are to develop a mental illness which requires more complex and long-term care. Early needs recognition is so vital with neurodevelopmental conditions and yet there are no consistent standards on reporting for waiting times for assessment and treatment for neurodevelopmental conditions.
“The figures show an increase in the number of children starting treatment in the quarter, but the overall target is still being missed.
“In many areas across Scotland, we are continually seeing targets being missed. In order to address this, we urgently require ringfenced funding and increased resources at local and regional level.
“We are facing a period of unprecedented demand in psychiatry and mental health services – with a workforce who are stretched to their limit. The Scottish Government must acknowledge that major reform is required in order to protect and support the mental health of Scotland’s children and young people.
“We are calling on the Scottish Government to honour their commitment to the allocation of 10% of the NHS budget to mental health services and 1% towards CAMHS."
For further information, please contact:
- Email: scotland@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Contact Name: RCPsych in Scotland
- Twitter: @rcpsychscot