NHS Tayside has fallen well short of targets set for seeing children referred for mental health treatment

According to new statistics from NHS’s child and adolescent mental health services, NHS Tayside fell below the 90 per cent target, by only seeing 41.5 per cent of children and teenagers referred for mental health treatment within 18 weeks between October and December last year.

In a review of all health boards across Scotland, NHS Tayside failed to provide the information requested on child mental health due to “IT system changes”. However, the Information Services Division estimated 172 young patients would have started treatment for mental health in Tayside during this time.

It also estimated the average wait in Tayside to receive mental health treatment was five weeks. The overall figure for Scotland was 4000 children and young people.

The children’s charity Barnardo’s Scotland now say more needs to be done to improve the support on offer for young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Kirsten Hogg, the charity’s head of policy, said: “The statistics on children and adolescent mental health services waiting times are just a small part of the bigger picture of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

“We believe a multi-disciplinary approach to children and young people’s mental health is required, one which utilises the knowledge and skills from a range of professionals and agencies including health, education, social work and the third sector.

“Not all children and young people with mental health difficulties will need a specialist children and adolescent mental health service, and we must make sure that we make use of the relationships and expertise present in other services, to ensure that these children and young people have access to appropriate support. This is not an issue for health alone to deal with.”

Laura Falconer, the charity’s assistant director for mental health and wellbeing, also said: “In other parts of the UK Barnardo’s works corroboratively and in partnership with children and adolescent mental health services to jointly deliver services for children and young people who require support for their mental health. Through these models of working we are seeing an increase in engagement and improvement in access to services for children needing support.

“We know that not all children and young people with mental health difficulties will need a specialist children and adolescent mental health service. If the right support, and joined-up referral pathways are in place for these children, then the dedicated staff within children and adolescent mental health services will have more capacity to work with those children who really need them.”