Mental health waiting times: Targets for child mental health treatments breached by more than 1.3m days last year

Since April 2019, the Scottish Government’s 18-week treatment time target for CAMHS has been breached by a cumulative 3,998,301 days

The Scottish Government’s mental health treatment time target for children and young people was breached by more than 1.3m days last year, new figures show.

The Scottish Government says it is making “significant and sustained progress” on children and young people mental health waiting times, despite new figures showing waiting time targets were breached by more than 1.3m days last year.

The Scottish Government’s mental health treatment time target for children and young people was breached by more than 1.3m days last year, new figures show.

However, the Scottish Government says it is making “significant and sustained progress” on child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) waiting times, with 13 out of Scotland’s health boards having “effectively eliminated” long waits.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has demanded “immediate action” to combat Scotland’s “mental health emergency”, as freedom of information requests from his party revealed the scale of missed waiting time targets.

Since April 2019, the Scottish Government’s 18-week treatment time target for CAMHS has been breached by a cumulative 3,998,301 days, including 1,390,856 days during the last year.

This is more than twice the pre-pandemic level, when the total stood at 648,639 days for the whole year.

NHS Borders’ waiting time target breaches have increased from 1,680 days in 2019/20 to 56,756 days in 2022/23, while NHS Lanarkshire’s beaches have increased from 71,177 days in 2019/20 to 424,023 days in 2022/23.

Meanwhile, NHS Lothian has recorded 1,224,839 days of treatment time target breaches since April 2019.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “Humza Yousaf gave a personal commitment to clear mental health waiting lists by last spring. These figures show exactly what his word is worth.

“For children in need and those who love them, these long waits must feel like a lifetime. I cannot believe that the Greens and SNP are cutting another £30m from mental health budgets this winter.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats are the party of mental health. We secured extra funding and led the way in getting the Scottish Parliament to declare a mental health emergency.

“The First Minister should today adopt our proposals for more counsellors in schools, a single point of contact for those on waiting lists, and the rollout of more mental health professionals in GP surgeries and A&E departments near you.”

The Scottish Government’s Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “The latest figures show that we continue to see significant and sustained progress on CAMHS waiting times - 13 out of 14 Boards have now effectively eliminated long waits.

“Half of children and young people referred to CAMHS now start treatment within 10 weeks and the overall CAMHS waiting list decreased by more than a third (36 per cent) in the last year, with the number of children waiting over 18 weeks decreasing by 69 per cent over the same period.

“More than £1.3bn will support mental health services, with £290.2m direct investment – more than doubled since 2020/21 – enabling record numbers of staff to provide more varied support and services to a larger number of people than ever before.

“CAMHS services are supported by both budgets, with boards determining levels of funding at a local level.”

“Despite these positive figures, we are not complacent. We remain committed to supporting all boards to meet the standard that 90% of patients start treatment within 18 weeks of referral.

“It is vital that all children and young people receive the right support, at the right time.”