Thousands of children waiting years for mental health support, Children’s Commissioner warns
Fiona Simpson
Friday, March 15, 2024
Almost a quarter of a million children are waiting for mental health support despite being referred to services in 2022/23, analysis of NHS figures by the Children’s Commissioner for England finds.
New figures sourced from NHS England using the Children’s Commissioner’s legislative powers reveal that in 2022/23, 949,200 children and young people were referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) - equal to 8% of the 11.9 million children in England.
De Souza’s Children’s Mental Health Services 2022-23 report found that 32% of children and young people referred to mental health services received support but 28% - close to 270,300 - were still waiting for support from mental health services.
A further 39% of those waiting for help had their referral closed before accessing support.
The report shows that waiting times for mental health support continue to vary significantly.
For the 305,000 children and young people who accessed support the average waiting time was 35 days, however, in the last year nearly 40,000 children experienced a wait of over two years.
The analysis also uncovered geographical variations in waiting times across the country, from an average of 147 days in Sunderland to just four days in Southend.
The most common reason for referrals was cited as anxiety followed by reaching crisis, the report states.
De Souza said: “For children and young people two years can be a significant portion of their young lives, so the long waiting times experienced by some children in this report can feel agonisingly long.
“Children are still waiting far too long to access the support they need, and for too many children the speed at which they can access support is still down to the luck of where they live. With the right early support, many children would not need access to mental health services.”
In a series of recommendations to government, the Children’s Commissioner is calling for the creation of “a bold, strategic 10-year plan for children and young people’s mental health”.
She is also urging ministers to reduce waiting times for mental health services, so no child is turned away from mental health support or waits more than four weeks for an initial assessment for their mental health needs, and no more than four weeks after that to receive support and calling for greater early support through early support hubs, mental health support teams and school counsellors.
The Mental Health Act should also be reformed to reduce the “number of children being inappropriately detained and restrained in mental health hospitals – with a view to supporting children at home or in the community”, the report states.
