YOUNG people across Scotland are being forced to wait years to access mental health services, new figures show.<\/p>\n
Data covering 2024-25, uncovered when the Liberal Democrats submitted freedom of information requests to Scotland\u2019s NHS boards, show that one patient at NHS Highland spent 1,189 days on a waiting list to begin treatment with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), while one at NHS Tayside had to wait 1,137 days \u2014 over three years.<\/p>\n
Lanarkshire had one patient wait more than two years to be treated, while waits of more than a year were also uncovered at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, the Borders, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Lothian.<\/p>\n
Scottish Lib Dem leader\u00a0Alex Cole-Hamilton said: \u201cThe SNP have spent the last two decades ignoring the scale of the mental health crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir failures are plain to see in all those children waiting months and years for the treatment they need.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking children and young people wait years for help only worsens their mental health; it is a sure-fire way to add to their pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding, SNP Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said wait time targets for CAHMS had \u201cbeen met twice in a row,\u201d adding: \u201cWe want all children and young people to be able to access appropriate mental health treatment as and when they need to.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile long waits are unacceptable, young people in need are generally seen quickly, with the median wait being five weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have exceeded our promise to provide funding for 320 additional staff for CAMHS by 2026 and this will no doubt have contributed to the improvements we are seeing, but I am aware there is still much to be done if this is to be sustained and consistent across Scotland.\u201d<\/p>\n