Action called for as six Health Boards fail to meet targets for children’s mental health treatment

Date: 12th July 2016
Category: Mental health

New figures have been published indicating that 6 out of the 14 Health Boards are failing to meet their targets (max 18 week wait) for access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

The SCSC have called on the new Mental Health Minister to act urgently and put in place an Action Plan for those Health Boards failing to achieve their waiting time targets.

The six Health Boards failing to achieve the 18 week waiting time target are NHS Borders (83.3 per cent), NHS Fife (83.6 per cent), NHS Forth Valley (44.2 per cent), NHS Grampian (49.1 per cent), NHS Lothian (66.6 per cent) and NHS Shetland (50.0 per cent).

NHS Shetland confirm that they expect to meet the 18 week target by July after an increase in staffing and capacity. The SCSC are also meeting with Ms Watt in the next couple months to discuss this issue and make plans to ensure children and young people requiring access to CAMHS receive the help and support they so desperately need in a timely manner.

• Read the publication report 'CAMHS Waiting Times in NHS Scotland' here.
• Read the SCSC press release here.