Concerns raised over escalating number of children needing additional support

Increase of over 97,000 in the number of pupils with ASN since 2012
Decline in number of specialist ASN teachers by 376 since 2012
Decline of almost £1000 spend per ASN pupil since 2012/13

An alliance of leading independent and third sector organisations, the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), has called for greater resourcing to support children and young people with additional support needs (ASN), both during and after the Covid-19 crisis.

The call comes as new figures from the annual Scottish Government pupil census reveal that while the number of specialist teachers supporting those with ASN has dropped the number of those with ASN has escalated dramatically.

Between 2012 ¹ and 2019 ² the number of specialist teachers supporting those with ASN (publically funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has decreased from 3,840 to 3,464, a decline of 376.

This fall is against the background of an overall increase by 82.9 per cent since 2012 in the number of pupils identified with ASN, from 118,034 ³ to 215,897 in 2019 ⁴,representing just under a third of all pupils (30.9 per cent).

Recently revealed figures also indicate that average spend per pupil on additional support for learning by local authority (primary, secondary and special education) has fallen from £4,276 in 2012/13 5 to £3,286 in 2018/19.

Against a background of a per pupil cut in spending and in specialist support, the SCSC has called for greater resourcing from both the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure that those with ASN in Scotland’s schools, who disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation, are getting the care and support that they need.

It has also raised concerns about the effectiveness of a presumption of mainstreaming, meaning that all pupils are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply.

The fall in the number of specialist teachers is set against a background of dramatic increases in the reasons pupils being identified with ASN, such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems, in Scotland’s schools.

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: ““It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, especially during and as we come out of the current Covid-19 crisis.

“This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap as we know that those with ASN disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation. Such a situation is clearly challenging in an environment of austerity and evidence of cuts in spending per pupil with ASN and in the number of specialist teachers supporting this group.

“While we also support the presumption of mainstreaming, which means that all children and young people are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply, it is clearly difficult to see how this is functioning properly for all those with ASN given this fall in specialist support and increase in the number of those identified with conditions such as autism and mental health problems.

“The Scottish Government and local authorities need to work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.”

Coalition urges government to up it’s game

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading independent and third sector providers of children’s services, is urging the Scottish Government to ‘up its game’ in response to a new report from the Mental Welfare Commission.

The report indicates that the number of young people under the age of 18 admitted to non-specialist hospital wards – mainly adult wards – for treatment of their mental illness in Scotland in 2018-19 rose for the second year running. There were 118 admissions involving 101 young people.

This is an increase on the 2017-18 figures which were 103 admissions involving 90 young people and a further increase from 2016/17 when there were 71 admissions involving 66 young people.

Admission of a young person to an adult ward should only be acceptable in rare situations.

However, despite a greatly increased demand on mental health services, there are currently only 48 specialist hospital beds provided by the NHS in Scotland for adolescents with mental health problems.

These are located in three child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) inpatient units (Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow) and there is a further six place unit for five to 12-year olds in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. There is no inpatient provision north of Dundee.

Given the lack of provision, many children and young people with severe mental health problems are therefore being admitted to non-specialist adult and paediatric hospital wards, settings which are in many cases inappropriate to their needs.

The coalition has urged the Scottish Government to ensure that there are adequate specialist bed numbers that can deal with the requirements and to refocus its efforts on prevention and early intervention, ensuring that issues do not escalate so that they require the provision of these specialist services. It has also called for secure impatient facilities for young people with mental health illnesses, of which there are currently none in Scotland.

Under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment (Scotland) Act 2003 Health Boards are required to provide appropriate services and accommodation for young people admitted to hospital for treatment of their mental disorder.

Given admissions to non-specialist mental health wards, it is clearly arguable whether appropriate services are being provided.

There are a number of differences between specialist units and wards designed to treat the needs of adults with serious mental illness, both in terms of staff training and the overall ward environment. Given this, there is a clear concern that the needs of a young person may not be met in comparable way when admitted to an adult mental health ward as opposed to a specialist child and adolescent unit.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition commented: “We are clearly concerned about the increasing number of those being admitted to adult mental health wards, often inappropriate to their needs, both in terms of staff training and the ward environment.

“The Scottish Government needs to up its game on this and provide adequate facilities, ensuring that there are sufficient specialist bed numbers for those requiring them. There is also currently no provision north of Dundee and this requires to be urgently addressed.

“For children and young people who require inpatient mental health care, a lack of such services means that they frequently remain at home, often until the family reaches crisis point, leaving them feeling isolated and delaying recovery.

“These are among the most vulnerable members of our society and we owe it to them to give them the adequate care and support that they need.”

Children’s mental health services ‘creaking at the seams’

The NHS in Scotland failed to meet a maximum 18-week waiting time target for children and young people to receive treatment from mental health services
More than a third are waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.
11 out of 14 health boards, including NHS Lothian, failed to meet the 18-week waiting time target.
272 children and young people waited more than a year prior to being seen
Coalition calls for fundamental rethink and renewed focus on prevention and early intervention, including embedding mental health within education.

Latest waiting time figures have reinforced the call by a coalition of leading independent and third sector children and young people’s service providers for dramatically increased investment in mental health services in the budget to address the current mental health crisis.

It has also called for an urgent need for transformational change in services, focusing on prevention and early intervention in order to tackle what is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time.

The call from the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), which campaigns to improve services for vulnerable children and young people, comes as the latest waiting time figures from the Information Services Division, part of NHS National Services Scotland, highlight that thousands of children and young people are failing to treated within a Scottish Government waiting time target.

With an increasing number of children and young people being identified with mental health problems they also highlight a postcode lottery for mental health treatment across the country.

Covering the quarter October to December 2019, the figures highlight that 3,884 children and young people started treatment at specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in this period.

The NHS in Scotland, including 11 of the 14 regional health boards, failed to meet the Scottish Government 18-week waiting time target for children and young people to receive treatment from CAMHS. This target should be delivered for at least 90 per cent of patients.

While 66.4 per cent in the NHS in Scotland are being seen within this 18-week waiting time, still in itself far too long, more than a third (33.6 per cent) are failing to be seen within this period.

Individual health boards failing to meet this target are: NHS Fife (66.1 per cent), NHS Ayrshire & Arran (89.9 per cent), NHS Grampian (80.1 per cent), NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (68.9 per cent), NHS Highland (75.2 per cent), NHS Lanarkshire (57.8 per cent), NHS Lothian (48.4 per cent), NHS Tayside (57.4 per cent), NHS Dumfries & Galloway (88.6 per cent), NHS Shetland and NHS Forth Valley (57.7 per cent).

The figures also indicate that 272 children and young people in the October to December quarter had been waiting for more than a year prior to being seen for treatment, an increase from 204 in the previous quarter and a considerable increase from the same quarter of last year (108).

Mental health services are creaking at the seams due to greatly increasing demand, as evidenced by these waiting time figures. Research indicates that 10 per cent of children and young people (aged five to 16) has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem (around three in every classroom), with 50 per cent of mental health problems established by the age of 14 and 75 per cent by the age of 24.

While acknowledging the great efforts the Scottish Government is making, such as an additional £250 million of funding announced in the Programme for Government of 2018, the SCSC has called for the Scottish Government to greatly increased investment in CAMHS and for a more consistent approach to delivering these services across Scotland. ³

It has also called for a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention for those with mental health problem, reducing the need for referral to under-pressure specialist CAMHS.

This includes embedding mental health within education from an early age in order to strengthen knowledge and awareness of mental health, as well as reducing the stigma associated with mental health.

SCSC says emotion and resilience classes should be provided to all students from primary one to teach students how to work through their emotions in a healthy way and there should be a whole-school approach, with training for all staff involved in education and providing counselling support.

A spokesperson for the SCSC said: “These latest waiting time figures highlight that we desperately need increased investment in the forthcoming budget to address this situation. The simple fact is that we are continuing to fail thousands of children and young people with mental health problems, and more clearly needs to be done to address this epidemic.

“These newly released figures highlight that the NHS in Scotland, including eleven of our health boards, are failing to meet what is already a lengthy waiting time. Yet we know that three children in every classroom has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem.

“There must be a radical transformation of our mental health services, with a focus on preventing such problems arising in the first place and intervening early, especially when we know that half of all mental health problems begin before the age of 14. This includes embedding mental health within education from an early age as well as providing training for all staff involved in education.

“With mental health and the issues associated with it representing one of the greatest public health challenges of our time, we must ensure that children and young people are able to get the care and support they need, when they need it. This includes investing in greater community support and support at school, reducing the need for referral to specialist CAMHS.”

One in three young people in the Lothians are waiting over a year for mental health support.

Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Lothian MSP, said: “It is deeply concerning that we are now in a situation where over a third of young people referred for mental health support in NHS Lothian are having to wait over a year.

“SNP Ministers have allowed us to reach crisis point by not properly managing NHS Lothian’s workforce and must take responsibility for neglecting to take action over the mental health crisis amongst young people.

“These figures show just how urgently we need an additional 40 whole time equivalent mental health professionals in NHS Lothian.”

More city school leavers in positive destinations

A record proportion of school leavers were in a ‘positive destination’ such as study, work or training about three months after leaving school last year.

Figures show that 95% of young people were in a positive destination, with the gap between those from the most and least deprived communities achieving a positive destination the lowest since 2009-10.

The statistics also show that:

more than 85% of school leavers achieve at least one pass at SCQF 5 or better. In 2006-07 the proportion was 71.1%
the proportion of school leavers with one or more pass at SCQF 6 or better is 60.5%. In 2006-07 the proportion was 41.6%
the proportion of school leavers achieving vocational awards has increased to 17%, giving them skills they need for entering the workplace. The achievement of these awards has increased for school leavers every year since 2013-14

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “For the ninth consecutive year, more young Scots are in study, training or work three months after leaving school than ever before. Moreover, the gap between the richest and poorest communities for those moving into a positive destination continues to narrow.

“This demonstrates that Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is delivering one of the ultimate aims of school education – to secure a positive next step in learning, life and work for our young people.

“Compared with the previous year, there has been a slight fall in attainment for school leavers who achieved one or more national qualifications. In any high performing system there will be fluctuation, however over time the percentage of school leavers achieving one or more pass at National 5 and Higher level has improved substantially.

“We have commissioned the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to carry out an independent review of the curriculum. The review will look carefully at achievement in the senior phase so that we can improve further.”

Alma Harris, a member of the International Council of Education Advisers (ICEA), said at the ICEA biannual meeting last week: “The Scottish system is doing everything that we would expect a high performing system to do. It has all the right components, it’s investing in the right places.

“What we are seeing is incremental growth. And, as a council, we’re very confident that that incremental growth bodes well for the future.

“The focus on equity and excellence is, without question, the right focus. The way in which the system has been empowered, to develop itself into a high performing system, is also to be commended.”

The official statistics can be found here.

City SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald has welcomed new figures showing more Edinburgh school leavers are in study, work or training than a decade ago.

Across Scotland, a record proportion of young people were in a positive destination three months after leaving school last year. The gap between those from the most and least deprived communities achieving a positive destination the lowest since 2009-10.

In Edinburgh, the number of unemployed school leavers seeking work fell from 15% in 2009/10 to 3% in 2018/19.

Over the same time period the number of school leavers going directly to higher education rose from 37% to 43%.

SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald said: “It is very welcome that significantly more young people in Edinburgh are going on to positive destinations such as work and study straight from school.

“For the ninth consecutive year, more young Scots are in study, training or work three months after leaving school than ever before.

“It’s particularly welcome that the gap between the richest and poorest communities, for those moving into a positive destination, continues to narrow.

“This demonstrates that Curriculum for Excellence is delivering one of the ultimate aims of school education – to secure a positive next step in learning, life and work for our young people.”

For some, however, it’s a case of ‘Could Do Better’ – particularly for children with additional support needs.

Commenting on the Scottish Government’s statistics for attainment and initial leaver destinations for secondary pupils (2018/19), a spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition – an alliance of independent and third sector service providers – said: “We are deeply concerned about falling attainment levels for those with additional support needs such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems.

“While 91 per cent of those with ASN had one pass or more at SCQF Level 4 or better in 2017/18, this had reduced to 90.7 per cent in 2018/19. For those with one or more pass at SCQF Level 5 or better this had fallen from 70.4 per cent to 69.8 per cent. And for those with one or more pass at SCQF Level 6 this had fallen from 39.5 per cent to 39.3 per cent.

“The attainment gap between those with ASN and those with no ASN has increased from 7.3 per cent for 2017/18 to 7.6 per cent in 2018/19 for those with one or more pass at SCQF Level 4 or better and from 21.8 per cent to 22.4 per cent for those with one or more pass at SCQF Level 5 or better. It has dropped from 31.9 per cent to 31.2 per cent for those with 1 or more pass at SCQF Level 6 or better.

“It is deeply disappointing to see this fall in attainment level for those with ASN and that the attainment gap is opening between those with ASN and no ASN in some categories.

“Along with the National Deaf Children’s Society, the National Autistic Society Scotland, and Royal Blind we recently made a call for increased resourcing in the Scottish Government Budget to support those with ASN.

“While the numbers of those with ASN has risen by more than 82 per cent since 2012, amounting to just under a third of the pupil population, it is alarming that spend per pupil with ASN has fallen by more than 26 per cent over this same period.

“It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need in order to give them the best possible start in life and close the educational attainment gap.

“Too many pupils with additional support needs are missing out on the specialist support they require because of budget cuts at a time of increasing need.

“This is clearly challenging in an environment of austerity, however, the cost to society in the long term if adequate resourcing is not provided will far outweigh any potential savings made today.”

Teacher numbers rise …

BUT ALMOST ONE IN THREE PUPILS NOW HAS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS

Primary school teacher numbers are at their highest level since 1980 and total teacher numbers have risen by 288, new statistics have shown. The overall number of teachers rose to 52,247, an increase of 1,530 since 2015 and the highest level since 2009.

However a campaign group has expressed concern over support for record numbers of pupils with Additional Support Needs. Continue reading Teacher numbers rise …

‘Transformational change’ needed to tackle child mental health crisis, says SCSC

The NHS in Scotland failed to meet a maximum 18-week waiting time target for children and young people to receive treatment from mental health services
More than a third are waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.
9 out of 14 health boards failed to meet the 18-week waiting time target: NHS Fife, NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian, NHS Tayside, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley and NHS Forth Valley
204 children and young people waited more than a year prior to being seen for treatment, double that for the same quarter of last year.
More than one in five referrals for treatment are rejected.
Figures show only 0.56 per cent of NHS expenditure is spent on CAMHS, less than 7 per cent of the mental health budget.
Coalition calls for fundamental rethink and renewed focus on prevention and early intervention, including embedding mental health within education.

The Scottish Childrens Services Coalition (SCSC) has also called for an urgent need to focus on prevention and early intervention in order to tackle what is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time.

The coalition, which campaigns to improve services for vulnerable children and young people, call comes as the latest waiting time figures from the Information Services Division, part of NHS National Services Scotland, highlight that thousands of children and young people are failing to treated within a Scottish Government waiting time target.¹With an increasing number of children and young people being identified with mental health problems they also highlight a postcode lottery for mental health treatment across the country.

Covering the quarter July to September 2019, the figures highlight that 3,901 children and young people started treatment at specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in this period. The NHS in Scotland, including 9 of the 14 regional health boards, failed to meet the Scottish Government 18-week waiting time target for children and young people to receive treatment from CAMHS. This target should be delivered for at least 90 per cent of patients.

While 64.5 per cent in the NHS in Scotland are being seen within this 18-week waiting time, still in itself far too long, more than a third (35.5 per cent) are failing to be seen within this period.

Individual health boards failing to meet this target are: NHS Fife (75.2 per cent), NHS Ayrshire & Arran (78.1 per cent), NHS Grampian (50.8 per cent), NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (71.2 per cent), NHS Highland (64.1 per cent), NHS Lanarkshire (51.9 per cent), NHS Lothian (55.9 per cent), NHS Tayside (54.2 per cent) and NHS Forth Valley (63.8 per cent).

The figures also indicate that 204 children and young people in the July to September quarter had been waiting for more than a year prior to being seen for treatment, an increase from 151 in the previous quarter (April to June) and more than double that from the same quarter of last year (93). ²

In addition, more than one in five (21.9 per cent) are having their referrals for treatment rejected, with no real understanding of what is happening to them after this.³

It should be noted that a mere 0.56 per cent of the NHS budget is spent on specialist CAMHS, amounting to £67.248 million.⁴In addition to this, only 6.61 per cent of the overall mental health budget is spent on CAMHS.

These very low figures are despite the fact that mental health services are creaking at the seams due to greatly increasing demand, as evidenced by these waiting time figures. Research indicates that 10 per cent of children and young people (aged five to 16) has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem (around three in every classroom), with 50 per cent of mental health problems established by the age of 14 and 75 per cent by the age of 24.⁵

It has also called for a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention for those with mental health problem, reducing the need for referral to under-pressure specialist CAMHS.

This includes embedding mental health within education from an early age in order to strengthen knowledge and awareness of mental health, as well as reducing the stigma associated with mental health. Emotion and resilience classes should be provided to all students from primary one to teach students how to work through their emotions in a healthy way and there should be a whole-school approach, with training for all staff involved in education and providing counselling support.

A spokesperson for the SCSC said: “These latest waiting time figures highlight that fact in this mental health crisis we are continuing to fail thousands of children and young people with mental health problems, with more clearly needing to be done to address this epidemic.

“These newly released figures highlight that the NHS in Scotland, including nine of our health boards, are failing to meet what is already a lengthy waiting time. Yet we know that three children in every classroom has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem.

Scottish Conservative Health Spokesperson, Miles Briggs, didn’t miss the opportunity to comment. The Lothian MSP said: “In Scotland we are facing a child mental health crisis and over 10,000 children and young people are being failed by this SNP government.

“There is a postcode lottery across health boards for whether you child will get mental health support when they need it, with my own region of Lothian being particularly bad.

“I am regularly contacted by parents who are worried about their children and it is heart-breaking for them when they are told their child can’t be seen for over a year.

“A greater focus must be given to prevention and early intervention by having mental health on the curriculum for all schools in Scotland.”

¹NHS Information Services Division, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Waiting Times in Scotland (PDF link), 3^rd December 2019, Table 2, p. 7. Available at: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Mental-Health/Publications/2019-12-03/2019-12-03-CAMHS-WaitingTimes-Report.pdf? (accessed 3^rrdDecember 2019).

²Ibid., Table 1a in background tables, p.6.

³Ibid., Table 4 in background tables, p.6.

5 Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Statistics: Children and Young People. Available at: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-children-and-young-people (accessed 25th January 2016).

⁶BBC online, Sturgeon announces boost for mental health services, 4^th September. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-45395739 (accessed 5th December).

Dedicated counselling service for all secondary school pupils

Professional counselling services will be available to all secondary school pupils who require it by September next year.

Agreement has been reached between the Scottish Government and COSLA on the detailed allocation of £60 million over four years. This funding will build or expand high quality counselling services for children and young people.

Counselling services currently delivered by qualified and registered counsellors through Pupil Equity or Scottish Attainment funding will continue, enabling local authorities to reallocate those funds to other priorities to help close the attainment gap.

School counsellors help support young people’s emotional, behavioural and mental health. Importantly, pupils will also have access to counsellors during school holidays, providing vital continuity of care.

Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey said: “Children and young people can face many issues growing up and must have the right support available at the right time.

“Providing every secondary school with access to at least one counsellor by next year is a significant step forward in our package of measures to improve the mental health support available for children and young people.”

Commenting on the announcement, a spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition said: “This is very welcome news and is a vital step in improving the mental health of our children and young people through early intervention.

“School counsellors help support young people’s emotional, behavioural and mental health. Importantly, pupils will also have access to counsellors during school holidays, providing vital continuity of care.

“It has been estimated that the cost of five sessions of counselling is equivalent to just one contact with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

“Therefore, investing a fraction of the mental health budget on school-based counselling services helps to keep the individual in school and avoid an unneccesary and often stigmatising mental health diagnoses, as well as reducing the burden on stretched and costly CAMHS provision.”

Waiting time figures highlight need for urgent action to tackle child mental health crisis

The NHS in Scotland failed to meet a maximum 18-week waiting time target for children and young people to receive treatment from mental health services
More than 3 in 10 are waiting more than 18-weeks for treatment.
12 out of 14 health boards failed to meet the 18-week waiting time target:
- NHS Fife, NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian, NHS Tayside, NHS Borders, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Orkney, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley, NHS Shetland and NHS Forth Valley
151 children and young people waited more than a year prior to being seen for treatment, three times that for the same quarter of last year.
More than one in five referrals for treatment are rejected.
Figures show only 0.53 per cent of NHS expenditure is spent on CAMHS, less than 7 per cent of the mental health budget.
Coalition calls for fundamental rethink and renewed focus on prevention and early intervention, including embedding mental health within education.

Continue reading Waiting time figures highlight need for urgent action to tackle child mental health crisis

Scottish Children’s Services Coalition: “We are failing thousands of children and young people with mental health problems”

Latest waiting time figures highlight need for fundamental shift in focus for child mental health services

The NHS in Scotland failed to meet a maximum 18-week waiting time target for children and young people to receive treatment from mental health services
More than a quarter are waiting more than 18-weeks for treatment
Ten out of 14 health boards failed to meet the 18-week waiting time target:
- NHS Fife, NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian, NHS Tayside, NHS Borders, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Orkney and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley
118 children and young people waited more than a year prior to being seen
Figures show only 0.53 per cent of NHS expenditure is spent on CAMHS, less than 7 per cent of the mental health budget
Coalition calls for fundamental rethink and renewed focus on prevention and early intervention, including embedding mental health within education

Latest waiting time figures have reinforced the call by a coalition of leading independent and third sector children and young people’s service providers for increased investment in mental health services with a much greater focus on prevention and early intervention.

The call from the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) (see Notes to Editors for members), which campaigns to improve services for vulnerable children and young people, comes as the latest waiting time figures from the Information Services Division, part of NHS National Services Scotland, highlight that thousands of children and young people are failing to be treated within Scottish Government waiting time target.

With an increasing number of children and young people being identified with mental health problems they also highlight a postcode lottery for mental health treatment across the country.

Covering the quarter January to March 2019, the figures highlight that 4,237 children and young people started treatment at specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in this period.

The NHS in Scotland, including ten of the 14 regional health boards, failed to meet the Scottish Government 18-week waiting time target for children and young people to receive treatment from CAMHS. This target should be delivered for at least 90 per cent of patients.

While 73.6 per cent in the NHS in Scotland are being seen within this 18-week waiting time, still in itself far too long, more than a quarter (26.4 per cent) are failing to be seen within this period.

Individual health boards failing to meet this target are: NHS Borders (target achieved for 40.0 per cent), NHS Fife (72.8 per cent), NHS Ayrshire & Arran (81.6 per cent), NHS Grampian (43.3 per cent), NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (80.6 per cent), NHS Highland (81.4 per cent), NHS Lanarkshire (76.6 per cent), NHS Lothian (69.1 per cent) and NHS Tayside (57.9 per cent)

The figures also indicate that 118 children and young people in the quarter had been waiting for more than a year prior to being seen for treatment, an increase from 108 in the previous quarter (October to December).

It should be noted that a mere 0.53 per cent of the NHS budget is spent on specialist CAMHS, amounting to £61.074 million.In addition to this, only 6.34 per cent of the overall mental health budget is spent on CAMHS.

While acknowledging the great efforts the Scottish Government is making, such as an additional £250 million of funding announced in the Programme for Government, the SCSC has called for the Scottish Government for greatly increased investment in CAMHS and for a more consistent approach to delivering these services across Scotland.

It has also called for a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention for those with mental health problem, reducing the need for referral to under-pressure specialist CAMHS.

This includes embedding mental health within education from an early age in order to strengthen knowledge and awareness of mental health, as well as reducing the stigma associated with mental health.

Emotion and resilience classes should be provided to all students from primary one to teach students how to work through their emotions in a healthy way and there should be a whole-school approach, with training for all staff involved in education and providing counselling support.

A spokesperson for the SCSC said: “These latest waiting time figures highlight that fact we are continuing to fail thousands of children and young people with mental health problems.

“The great efforts the Scottish Government is making, including an additional £250 million for mental health over the next five years announced in its recent Programme for Government, is to be welcomed, but more clearly needs to be done.

“These newly released figures highligh that the NHS in Scotland, including ten of our health boards, are failing to meet what is already a lengthy waiting time. Yet we know that three children in every classroom has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem.

The ISD figures released yesterday show that for the latest quarter to March 31^st 2019, 85 young people in NHS Lothian waited over a year to be seen out of the 118 of young people waiting over a year across all NHS health boards in Scotland.

The number of young people waiting within the 18 week target in NHS Lothian has increased to a record 540, 69.1%, which is still below the national average of 73.6% seen within the 18 week target for the last quarter.

In NHS Lothian more young people are being seen within the 18 week target, however the 85 young people waiting over a year to be seen still makes up 72% of all young people waiting over a year to be seen in Scotland for the same quarter.

The CAMHS Workforce Report states that “NHS Grampian and NHS Lothian’s child & adolescent populations are projected to increase the most by over 6.0% each” (page 8), which means that NHS Lothian CAMHS will need extra funding to meet future demand.

Scotland’s first Youth Commission on Mental Health produced a report last week that said fundamental change was needed to the way young people with mental health issues were supported. Recommendation included that mental health education be embedded within the school curriculum and for education professionals to be trained in mental health support.

The commission’s also called for waiting times to access child and adolescent mental health services to be reduced to eight weeks.

Scottish Conservative Health Spokesperson, Miles Briggs, said: “This provision of mental health services for young people in Lothian is nowhere near where it needs be.

“Hundreds of young people are waiting over the 18 week target every quarter in NHS Lothian to be seen by a mental health professional.

“There has been a mental health crisis for young people in Lothian for many years now and the complacency of SNP Ministers means that young people are suffering without the access to support that they need.

“The SNP must start taking the necessary actions to improve mental health provision for young people in Lothian immediately.”

Call for action as half of Scotland’s Health Boards miss child mental health targets

A coalition of independent and third sector children and young people’s service providers has called for urgent action from the Scottish Government to increase investment in and radically improve mental health services for children and young people. Continue reading Call for action as half of Scotland’s Health Boards miss child mental health targets