Health boards in Tayside and Fife are failing to hit targets to treat youngsters suffering from mental health issues within six months, according to shock new statistics.
NHS Tayside was branded a “disgrace” after figures from the health service’s information services department revealed 599 children and adolescents across Angus, Dundee and Perthshire have had to wait more than half a year for treatment by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) specialists.
The Scottish Government wants 90% of young people to be seen within 18 weeks, but in December just 36.6% were treated within this timescale in Tayside and 76.7% in Fife. For the extended 26-week period, the increase is to 45.8% in Tayside and 83.6% in Fife.
Labour health spokeswoman Jenny Marra said: “This is a disgrace. When children and young people are starting to develop mental health issues, they need to be seen immediately to see what can be done to stop it escalating.
“Mental health affects every family in this country. When parents and grandparents have to wait months for a doctor to assess their children, the stress and anxiety mounts and meanwhile the child’s problems can get worse.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: “Many people will find it appalling that hundreds of young people in Tayside are facing waits of over six months to be seen at CAMHS units.”
Tom Garnett, executive officer at Dundee Association for Mental Health, said such lengthy delays could see people’s conditions worsen.
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition called the situation “crisis point” and requested a strategic meeting “to get a grip on the situation”.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “In January, nine additional nursing and medical staff took up posts and the CAMHS team is now making an impact on the waiting times.
“They have been reviewing the waiting list and making appointments for those children and young people who have been waiting the longest to be seen.
“We are pleased to report around 100 new appointments were made during January and the waiting list will continue to reduce over the coming months.
“However, patients should be reassured that all urgent referrals are assessed and continue to be seen quickly.”
NHS Fife general manager Mary Porter said: “It is important to point out that not all children have a long wait.
“Urgent referrals are seen quickly, some on the day of referral, and the recent published figures show that for NHS Fife the average waiting time for all referrals is six weeks.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We introduced these targets to drive improvements, and there has been significant progress in waiting times over the last few years, but we recognise there is more work to be done.”