Our kids deserve better mental health support
Councillor says children are let down by referrals
Jack Thomson Local Democracy Reporter
Thousands of families are in dire need of mental health support for their children, according to a councillor.
Elected member for Houston, Crosslee and Linwood Councillor Alison Dowling has claimed “resourceled” decisions is making it difficult for parents and children to get the support they need.
She was responding to a report from acting chief social work officer John Trainer, in which he said there had been evidence of inappropriate referrals being made to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Councillor Dowling said she was “extremely concerned” by the comments and added: “I have a family member who has Asperger’s.
“I know from my own experience and countless parents I’ve spoken to over the years that we are now in a situation where waiting lists for CAMHS referrals are because of resource-led decisions, not because of clinical need.
“I personally have been told by a local GP that although my child clearly, in my view, needed to be referred, his case wasn’t severe enough that he could sanction it because he knew CAMHS would knock it back and wouldn’t see him.
“I fought for that and he was diagnosed and I was told by CAMHS he was on the severe end of that diagnosis.
“I’m currently dealing with constituents with children with severe behavioural issues linked to autism, who have been lucky enough to get through CAMHS and nothing happens.
“There are thousands of families in Renfrewshire right now in the most dire need of assistance, whether it’s educational, social work, mental health services through CAMHS, who are not receiving it, and it’s resource-led.”
Mr Trainer addressed Councillor Dowling’s concerns and explained there was a need for early intervention to lessen the burden on CAMHS.
Using the example of a young person being referred to CAMHS for bereavement counselling, Mr Trainer said there was a need to free up the service to deal with “high end” need.
He said there may be situations where “a young person who loses their grandmother” is referred to CAMHS for bereavement counselling.
He said: “We’ve not looked at what else could happen before CAMHS.
“Being distressed is a natural response to losing a close family member.
“Those are the kind of referrals that sometimes go to CAMHS and require to go on a waiting list and then you have to get through that waiting list at some point and that stops other more appropriate referrals being there.
“What we need to do is make sure those referrals that can be dealt with at an earlier stage are dealt with through early and preventative services and adequate support.
“That allows CAMHS to deal with the high end of the need within that spectrum you’ve talked about.”
A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “Referral rates to our Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services have remained steady in recent years with the average length of wait currently meeting, and exceeding, Scottish Government waiting time targets.
“We aim to see, and treat, all appropriate cases as quickly as possible with each individual patient receiving a tailored treatment plan.
“Skye House, our purpose- built facility on the Stobhill Hospital site provides a range of dedicated inpatient services for young people with severe mental health problems from across the West of Scotland.
“However, our CAMHS team endeavours to support the vast majority of patients with severe mental health problems in community settings.
“As a result, we have increased access to specialist community mental health teams resulting in more young people getting the support they need in a community setting, usually at home.
“Our CAMHS teams are complemented by a wide range of intensive community services operating around the clock including crisis services and inpatient facilities, so this truly is a team effort.”