A recent Think Tank study suggests that more than a quarter of young people referred to specialist mental health services in England are being rejected for treatment. Young people are facing a mental health crisis and many of them aren’t getting the support they need and are being put on long waiting lists.
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) says 133,000 were turned away last year, including people who had self-harmed or experienced abuse. The report highlights that the system is struggling to cope with the rising demand with average waits of almost two months. The difficulties arise from the increase in mental health referrals with the same level of resources.
There is a vast treatment gap, meaning the needs of hundreds of thousands of young people in England are not being met.
CAMHS are the NHS service that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties. The services available in regional areas can vary. It can also provide help and support to parents and carers when dealing with young people with behavioural or other problems.
The most common reason given for the rejection of 26% of referrals to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) was because children's conditions were not suitable for treatment or they "did not meet eligibility criteria" which means young people are slipping through the net and being deprived of vital services. In many cases there is a lack of a consistent approach and transparency about what support is actually available to young people with serious problems.
The NHS says it is planning to increase spending on mental health services more quickly than the overall NHS budget, which it says will be "worth at least £2.3bn a year by 2023-24".
If you have a child or young person who may need help there are charities and organisations that can help:
If you would like to find out more about this blog, you can get in touch with me by calling 01332 364436 or emailing d.khunkhuna@timms-law.com
