Dramatic Improvement In Waiting Times For Young People

Thanks to a series of changes in the way services are delivered, a dramatic improvement has been recorded in waiting times for children and young people with mental health problems. Latest statistics for the last quarter of 2016 show that the number being treated within the 18 week target now stands at 94.8%, exceeding the national target of 90%.

NHS Forth Valley Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Department Manager, Jacqueline Sproule, said: “The excellent results are the culmination of hard work and a recovery plan that made many small improvements in the way we work. Putting these together has really paid off along with the recruitment of extra specialist staff in all areas of the service.

“Our team has worked very hard to reduce waiting times as no-one wants to see children having to wait for help, especially those who are particularly vulnerable.”

Over the last two years, with the help of additional national investment, the service has implemented an action plan to increase capacity. Staff numbers have increased by more than a third and another three specialist mental health posts are being created. The funding also supported the appointment of two intensive treatment nurses to provide support to children and young people in crisis, additional child psychology posts and a specialist speech and language therapist.

Jacqueline Sproule says the team is particularly keen to further develop improvements to ensure that children get the best service possible. This includes work to review referral pathways for neurodevelopmental difficulties and eating disorders, increase engagement with local GPs and school nurses and develop closer partnerships with local education departments and social work services.