Dozens of young people in Tayside and Fife have had to wait more than the four and a half months target to see a mental health specialist.
Official figures show 28% of those receiving Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service treatment had to wait longer than 18 weeks to be seen in Fife.
The Scottish Government’s own target is for 90% to receive treatment within 18 weeks of a referral.
Among the 100 delayed youngsters in Fife, 38 waited more than a year.
It led to claims the SNP government is failing young people in the region.
Targets missed
The waiting time targets were also not met in Tayside, where only 77.5% received treatment within 18 weeks of referral.
The health board had exceeded the waiting time target at the end of 2021 when 93% were seen.
At least two young people waited more than a year in Tayside.
Despite both health boards falling short of the government targets, they are still above the national average of just 68%.
SNP government under pressure
Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, said the SNP “failed” those who struggle with mental health.
“Patients cannot be put on hold for more than a year before they are seen – there is a very real risk that their conditions will simply worsen with every day that passes,” he said.
“There have been consistent problems with CAMHS services in Fife and Tayside and frankly there is little sign that things are going to improve.
“On top of recruiting hundreds of new counsellors, Scottish Liberal Democrats would make sure every school has access to counselling services and ramp up mental health first aid training.”
Recruitment drive
Fife Health and Social Care Partnership said it is prioritising children who have the “most significant” mental health needs.
Rona Laskowski, head of complex and critical care services at the partnership, said: “Recruitment of additional staff is ongoing and additional capacity within the service has resulted in a reduction in the number of children waiting to be seen.
“Fife CAMHS will continue to work on improving the responsiveness and quality of service delivery and to achieve the Scottish Government’s referral to treatment target by March 2023.”
NHS Tayside said it has just hired a new lead nurse, senior nurse and programme manager.
This comes after the health board suffered a staffing crisis across its child and adult psychiatry services.
We are targeting tailored support towards those boards with the longest waits.”
– SNP minister Kevin Stewart
In June this year, government ministers revealed Tayside and Fife were two of seven areas receiving “enhanced support” and funding to end long waits.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said it has also recruited a number of nursing and allied health professionals as well to meet the “increasing” demand.
“The service continues to pursue all attempts to improve performance though better use of existing resources, the commissioning of external service provision and focusing on service improvement,” the spokeswoman said.
“An example of this is our pilot GP triage service which sees experienced mental health nurses act as a liaison between general practice and CAMHS, providing advice, support and guidance prior to referral.”
‘Unacceptable’
The SNP Government’s mental wellbeing minister, Kevin Stewart, said long waits for treatment are “unacceptable”.
He hopes to meet the target of 90% being seen within 18 weeks of referral by March next year.
The government invested £40 million in mental health across Scotland last year, including £4.25 million to specifically offer treatment to those already on waiting lists.
Mr Stewart said: “We are now starting to see the impact of that investment, with the latest national performance data showing that over 5,200 children and young people began treatment last quarter, a record and sustained high level of activity.
“We are targeting tailored support towards those boards with the longest waits, providing access to professional advice, to ensure that they have robust improvement plans in place and will closely monitor their progress.”
Mr Stewart added CAMHS staff has doubled since the SNP came to power in 2007, and said £40m from the £120m mental health recovery and renewal fund is specifically for CAMHS treatment.