Child mental health services in the Highlands have been getting special help to try to tackle “devastating” waiting times, it has emerged.
Scottish Government ministers revealed the region was among seven receiving “enhanced support” and funding to end long waits for youngsters who need treatment.
The measures include £4.25 million to help those already on waiting lists.
Scottish Conservative public health spokeswoman Tess White said the cash would not be enough to help a generation who had been “repeatedly failed”.
Official figures for the last quarter of 2021 shows just 70% of struggling youngsters were seen within the target time in Scotland, down from 78% in the previous quarter.
The figures included more than 300 waiting longer than a year for help.
The Scottish Government aims for 90% of children and young people to be starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
NHS Grampian and NHS Tayside were among only a handful of boards to meet the 90% target, recording rates of 95% and 93% respectively.
Tayside had been under 90% in the three preceding quarters, however, and the majority of other board areas remained significantly below the target.
They included Dumfries and Galloway with just 47% treated within the 18 week target, while Forth Valley and Greater Glasgow were both at 57%, Lothian had a rate of 65%, Borders was on 67%, Lanarkshire was at 69%, Fife’s was 72%, and Highland’s was 75%.
In Highland, the data also showed that more than 11% of its referrals, or 27 youngsters, had been waiting more than a year.
Fife and Highland have previously been highlighted for having some of the longest waits in the nation.
Which boards get ‘enhanced support’?
Following parliamentary questions at Holyrood, Mental Wellbeing and Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart has revealed which areas had been receiving extra help.
He said: “NHS Borders, Fife, Forth Valley, Highland, Lanarkshire, Lothian and Tayside have all been receiving enhanced support to meet the waiting times standard and eliminate long waits by end March 2023.
“We will shortly be writing out to all boards to inform them about our programme of support for the next six to 12 months, including those which will be offered additional support.”
Mr Stewart said that £40 million had been allocated to NHS boards to improve CAMHS from the government’s £120m mental health recovery and renewal fund.
It includes £4.25m to be directly focussed on offering treatment to those already on CAMHS waiting lists.
Scottish Conservative public health spokeswoman Tess White said the high number of vulnerable young people on waiting lists is devastating.
‘Completely unacceptable’
“This funding won’t nearly be enough to help a generation of youngsters suffering from mental health issues who have repeatedly been failed by this SNP government,” she said.
“In April, more than 34,000 vulnerable young people had not started treatment within the SNP’s own 18-week target from referral which is completely unacceptable.
“We continue to hear a lot of warm words from Scottish Government ministers on supporting young people with mental health issues, but far too little in terms of urgent action.
A spokesman for NHS Highland said CAMHS and psychology services in the area had “longer waiting times than we would like for some time now”.
He said: “Prior to Covid-19 we recognised investment was needed in the service, particularly in terms of capacity.
“We started to change the way services were delivered at the beginning of the pandemic and this adaptation has regrettably meant additional delays in waiting times.
“The Scottish Government’s recovery and renewal fund has allocated considerable funding to improve mental health services, and improvement work is well under way.
“We are aware of the pressures and distress long waiting times are causing young people and their families, and we apologise for this. We are working hard to improve access as quickly as possible.”