Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Delay in mental health treatment is ‘appalling’
A Central Scotland MSP says the growing mental health “crisis” among young people across Scotland is “totally unacceptable”.
New statistics from Public Health Scotland show more than 2000 youngsters had been waiting for over a year to begin vital mental health treatment at the end of March.
Graham Simpson MSP claims the SNP are “continuing to miss their target” of guaranteeing 90 per cent of young people seeking mental health treatment will be seen within 18 weeks.
In the latest statistics, only 72.7 per cent of patients were seen within that time frame.
At the end of March, 2012 children and young people were waiting over a year to be seen – a 227 per cent increase since prior to the pandemic in February last year, when 614 patients were waiting over a year for mental health support.
The Scottish Conservative MSP says the Covid crisis and ongoing lockdowns have “heightened mental health issues among young people”.
He also urged SNP Ministers to give health boards every resource they need to see patients as quickly as possible.
Mr Simpson added: “These figures are appalling and underline the scale of the mental health crisis engulfing children and young people across Scotland.
“Prior to the pandemic, the SNP’S record on ensuring vulnerable youngsters were seen as quickly as possible was simply unacceptable.
“The Covid crisis and ongoing lockdown restrictions have only increased mental health issues among our young people and this
means SNP Ministers must get a grip of this challenge now.
“We need an urgent plan from SNP Ministers to guarantee that vulnerable young people will
be seen as quickly as possible and health boards given every resource they need to tackle mental health.
“The Scottish Conservatives
will continue to push for 10 per cent of the Scottish health budget to be spent directly supporting mental health services.
“For thousands of young people waiting for vital mental health support, this is a totally unacceptable situation which simply cannot be allowed to continue.”