- Figures show only 0.56 per cent of NHS expenditure on CAMHS and less than 7 per cent of the mental health budget
- Varying figures across Scotland, with 0.75 per cent of NHS expenditure on CAMHS in Tayside and 0.08 per cent in NHS Orkney
- Call comes as Children’s Mental Health Week takes place
A coalition of leading independent and third sector children and young people’s service providers has called on the Scottish Government to deliver a budget for mental health this week (Thursday 6th February).
The call from campaign group, the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), comes in week which also marks Children’s Mental Health Week (3rd– 9th February). It has urged greatly increased investment in mental health services for children and young people to tackle a current mental health “crisis”. In a letter to Finance Cabinet Secretary, Derek Mackay, it has called for a significant proportion of the Barnett consequentials coming to the Scottish Government from the additional £34 billion a year the UK Government has pledged to go to the NHS to be spent on mental health.
The letter highlights figures indicating that a mere 0.56 per cent of the NHS budget is spent on specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), amounting to £67.248 million. In addition to this only 6.61 per cent of the overall mental health budget is spent on CAMHS, a drop from 6.68 per cent on the previous year.
This is equivalent to just over 50p in every £100 of the NHS budget being spent on CAMHS.
These figures vary considerably across Scotland, ranging from 0.75 per cent of expenditure in NHS Shetland on CAMHS, 7.44 per cent of total mental health expenditure, to 0.08 per cent in NHS Highland, 2.92 per cent of total mental health expenditure.
These very low figures are despite the fact that mental health services are literally “creaking at the seams” due to greatly increasing demand. 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.
However, it should be noted that these figures are some years out of date and it is widely believed that numbers have increased.
The SCSC has also called for a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention for those with mental health problems. This includes on-demand counselling services in GP surgeries and greater community support generally, reducing the need for referral to under-pressure specialist CAMHS.
Latest figures on waiting times to access CAMHS, covering the period July to September 2019, indicate that of the 3,901 children and young people who started their treatment, only 64.5 per cent had been treated within an 18-week waiting time period (PDF). This is short of the 90 per cent target set by the Scottish Government.
In addition, 204 children and young people have been waiting for over a year to be seen (PDF).
A spokesperson for the SCSC said:
“As we mark Children’s Mental Health Week we are urging the Scottish Government to make the forthcoming budget a budget for mental health for our children and young people. With three children in every classroom having a clinically diagnosable mental health problem, no longer can mental health be viewed as a Cinderella service and we must put money behind the rhetoric to address the current crisis.
“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 are established by the age of 14.
“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.”
Related Posts
- Budget call as figures show more than 1,500 children have been waiting over a year for mental health treatment ( March 2, 2021 )
- Letter of support for appointment of an autism commissioner ( February 3, 2021 )
- Coalition urges action as figures highlight a more than 50 per cent drop in legal support for children with complex needs ( December 24, 2020 )
- Concerns raised as a third of pupils identified with additional support needs while support falls ( December 15, 2020 )
- Mental health emergency warning as more than 1,000 children have been waiting more than a year for treatment ( December 1, 2020 )
- World Mental Health Day ( October 10, 2020 )
- Call for a ‘national crusade’ as requests for mental health support slump ( September 4, 2020 )
- Coalition raises major concerns over falling levels of school leavers with additional support needs in positive destinations ( June 16, 2020 )
- Latest waiting time figures highlight perfect COVID-19 storm for children’s mental health ( June 2, 2020 )
- Let’s be mindful of the impact on mental health that crisis will have ( April 17, 2020 )
Archives
- March 2021
- February 2021
- December 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- June 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015