The national standard on waiting times for children and young
people accessing mental health services has been met for the
second quarter in row.
Latest Public Health statistics show 91.6% of those referred to
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) were seen
within 18 weeks from January to March - the Scottish Government
standard is 90%.
The figure is an increase from 90.6% for the previous quarter and
from 86% for the same quarter in 2024.
Visiting the CAMHS service in NHS Forth Valley to thank staff for
their dedication, Mental Wellbeing Minister said:
“We want all children and young people to be able to access
appropriate mental health treatment as and when they need to, and
this continued progress on waiting times is testament to the
hard-working staff who care for those referred to these services.
“We have exceeded our promise to provide funding for 320
additional staff for CAMHS by 2026 and this will no doubt have
contributed to the improvements we are seeing but I am well aware
there is still much to be done if this is to be sustained and
consistent across Scotland.
“However, we are on the right path and the £123.5 million we have
allocated to NHS Boards this year will mean the quality and
delivery of all mental health services – including CAMHS - will
continue to improve.”
Lesley Dunabie, Department Manager & Head of Nursing for NHS
Forth Valley CAMHS, said:
“We are delighted that the changes introduced by local staff over
the last 18 months have made such a positive impact to our
waiting times and significantly improved the services and support
available for children and young people with serious mental
illness.
“We are committed to building on this by continuing to develop
and improve local services for children and young people and
working with a wide range of partners to help increase access to
support in local schools and communities at an earlier stage.”
Background
Child and Adolescent
Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times - Quarter ending
March 2025 - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland
The national CAMHS standard was set in 2014.
CAMHS is only the right service for a small proportion of
children and young people. To provide an alternative, the
Scottish Government provided targeted investment of over £65
million in community-based mental health support, between 2020
and 2024-25, and a £16 million annual spend on school counselling
services in addition to this. Our investment in community-based
support will continue with the baselining of the £15m per annum
funding into local authority budgets from 2025-26.
The National CAMHS specification is clear that children and young
people whose referral is not accepted are sensitively and
appropriately signposted to a more suitable service, such as
those provided within community.
