Child and adolescent mental health waiting times more than doubled in the Highlands since 2019
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The Scottish Government's mental health treatment time target for children and young people has been breached by more than 2.7 million days since April 2019, with that number for NHS Highland more than doubling.
The new figures were revealed in a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Liberal Democrats who sought answers to “the total number of days over the 18-week standard time that those waiting for CAMHS collectively waited”.
The Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service or CAMHS at the north health board reported that in 2019/20 the number of days waiting hit 25,802, the next year that hit 39,592 but in 2021/22 it soared to 62,419.
For the as-yet-incomplete 2022/23 period, it had already seen prospective patients waiting 15,890 days, while the total number of days for those waiting over 18 weeks was more than 17,300.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton has demanded immediate action to combat Scotland’s mental health emergency.
The party revealed that across Scotland since April 2019, the 18-week treatment time target has been breached by a cumulative 2,701,978 days.
And things don’t look like they will improve as 607,110 days have already mounted up in 2022/23 which is worse than the pre-pandemic level, when the total stood at 557,147 days for the whole year.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “Children and young people are facing devastatingly long waits for mental health treatment. These figures capture how this must feel like a lifetime.
“The Scottish Government still claims it will clear these dreadful mental health waiting lists by March, but waits are getting worse and worse with every day that passes.
“In previous budget negotiations, Scottish Liberal Democrats secured £120 million extra for mental health, but the SNP and Greens have just cut £38 million. They need to urgently reconsider those cuts in light of the figures I am revealing today.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats have led the way in getting the Scottish Parliament to declare a mental health emergency. Now that declaration should be backed by proper funding.
“The First Minister should today adopt our proposals for more counsellors in schools, a single point of contact for those on waiting lists, and the rollout of more mental health professionals near to you in GP surgeries and A&E departments.”
