Thousands of children and young people in Lanarkshire needing mental health support have been “abandoned” by the Scottish Government, according to one Labour MSP.
Latest figures show that almost 1600 children and young people in Lanarkshire are currently on a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services waiting list – 68 per cent of whom have already been waiting longer than the target 18 weeks.
Central Scotland list MSP Monica Lennon raised concern that the mounting pressure on services is leading to young people being turned away, with Scottish Labour’s analysis showing that 20 per cent of referrals to CAMHS in Lanarkshire were rejected.
Speaking to Lanarkshire Live this week, Monica Lennon said: “Children and young people in Lanarkshire have been abandoned by the SNP at every turn, from their dire record on education to their failure to get them mental health support when they need it.
“Mental health services are at breaking point despite the tireless work of NHS staff, and thousands of children and young people are at risk of falling through the cracks.
“I commend NHS Lanarkshire on steps it has taken in very difficult circumstances to introduce a new way of working, allowing patients to pick their appointment dates and times, and I look forward to the opening of the new CAMHS specialist centre in Hamilton.
“There is no escaping the truth that more investment is needed to properly fund these services.
“Far too many children and young people in Lanarkshire are facing long waits for help, or worse still being turned away altogether.”
Across Scotland, 25 children and young people have their referral to CAMHS rejected every day.
Scottish Labour recently held a debate in the Scottish Parliament highlighting the fact almost 30,000 children, young people and adults are currently waiting for mental health treatment and called for action to improve services.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “Following our record-breaking investments in CAMHS the number of children starting treatment is the highest figure on record and we are now seeing continuing record levels of activity and some of the most positive changes in the waiting list that we have seen for over half a decade.
“However, we know that CAMHS will only be the right service for a small proportion of children and young people, and so to provide an alternative to CAMHS, we have invested £30 million in the last 2 years to provide community-based mental health supports for children and young people, their families and their carers. Local authorities report that 45,000 people accessed those services between July and December last year.
“The National CAMHS specification is clear that children and young people whose referral is not accepted for CAMHS are sensitively and appropriately signposted to a more suitable service, such as those provided by the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Services.”
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