Dugdale hits out at children’s mental health care

MANY vulnerable youngsters have been refused mental health treatment since the Scottish Government introduced a new waiting time target, according to official figures highlighted by Labour.

A target of 18 weeks for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) was introduced in December 2014 by SNP ministers.

But, since then, a total of 7,346 referrals for treatment have been rejected.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has called on the Scottish Government to launch a review of the rejected referrals to ensure no child or young person is missing out on treatment they should be receiving.

The call from Ms Dugdale came after a separate finding showed one in five young people have waited longer for mental health treatment since the introduction of the 18-week target.

Ms Dugdale, criticising the Government’s record on provision for vulnerable youths, said: “These figures show thousands of vulnerable young people being denied the help they need.

“The vast majority of these referrals will be from health professionals and it raises questions about whether our NHS is getting the resources it needs to cope with demand.”

But, Scotland’s minister for mental health Maureen Watt defended the efforts being made to meet waiting-time targets.

She said: “The Scottish Government has committed to putting in place a 10-year strategy, which we are currently consulting on, to further improve access to mental health services, backed by an additional £150 million over five years.”