‘Intolerable’ wait for mental health help
MSP slams time taken to support kids and youths
A Lanarkshire MSP has slammed the Scottish Government for presiding over “appalling” mental health waiting times for children and young people in the area.
Meghan Gallacher’s call comes after responses to Freedom of Information requests submitted by the Scottish Conservatives uncovered the “intolerable” waits being endured by children and young people who require mental health support across the country.
One patient in NHS Highland had to wait 150 weeks for their first appointment, while another patient in NHS Lothian waited more than two years between their first and second appointments. In NHS Lanarkshire, the longest wait a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) patient suffered for their first appointment was 558 days while another patient had to wait 430 days between their first and second appointments.
Central Scotland Conservative MSP Ms Gallacher said: “Vulnerable children and young people in Lanarkshire are suffering truly appalling waits for mental health treatment on the SNP’s watch. No patient should be waiting as long as 558 days to have their first CAMHS appointment. We’re talking about vulnerable, potentially suicidal, youngsters, so these waits are intolerable and potentially life-threatening.
“They represent a betrayal of young people in Lanarkshire by the SNP. Successive SNP health secretaries have presided over dire workforce planning and that has left our CAMHS services completely overstretched.
“They owe young people in Lanarkshire an apology, and the current incumbent – the discredited and distracted Michael Matheson – must now outline an urgent plan to ensure those requiring mental health support are seen far sooner.”
She added that the Covid pandemic only exacerbated the mental health crisis in Lanarkshire.
Mental wellbeing minister Maree Todd said: “More than £1.3 billion will support mental health services, with £290.2 million direct investment – more than double that in 2020/21 – enabling record numbers of staff to provide more varied support and services to a larger number of people than ever before.
“Long waits for treatment are not acceptable and we are committed to meeting the standard that 90 per cent of patients begin treatment within 18 weeks of referral.
“Half of people referred for psychological therapies start treatment within three weeks thanks to the hard work of a growing workforce and record investment. Performance still varies across the country, and we continue to provide tailored support to those boards that need it.”
No patient should be waiting as long as 558 days to have their first CAMHS appointment Meghan Gallacher MSP