A Daily Record investigation found more than 160,000 young Scots have been referred to the NHS’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services since 2018
Families of young people failed by Scotland’s mental health system have spoken out as figures revealed more than 34,000 were referred for help in 12 months – the highest number in five years.
Figures from 13 of Scotland’s 14 health boards – NHS Orkney rejected our request – revealed 34,146 under-18s were referred to the service in 2022. This compared to 31,100 in 2021, 29,447 in 2020 and 32,650 in 2019. Last year’s figure was the highest since 2018, when 36,362 were referred for help. In December, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar told then first minister Nicola Sturgeon that almost 9000 children were rejected for CAMHS help in a year, and more than 12,000 had been waiting more than a year for treatment. Freedom of Information data unveiled by the Scottish Tories last week showed that of the 190 vacancies listed since December 2022 in CAMHS, 89 were left unfilled for three months or longer.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “We absolutely understand the distress caused to children, young people and their families by any delay in accessing mental health support. Long waits are always unacceptable. We continue to invest heavily in CAMHS staffing, which has more than doubled under this Government, to the current record high of almost 1300 whole time equivalent posts.
The family, from Glasgow’s Drumchapel, have started a petition urging a “mental health A&E” for young people, which is to be considered by Parliament next month. Nurse Kirsty, 40, said: “Kyle is 11 and has already lost faith in the process and the professionals who are supposed to help him. He is back in a really dark place at the moment.
They said anyone up to age of 18 “who presents at A&E or a mental health assessment unit who urgently requires a mental health assessment will receive one from the specialist CAMHS 24/7 nurse-led response team initially.” The boy and his parents asked for further testing but received no official assessment, diagnosis or treatment plan. Just four months after starting treatment, Anton took his life during a break in classes at school. In a note on his iPad he expressed frustration over his treatment.
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