Leak claims Camhs ‘not fit for purpose’

A letter leaked to BBC’s Panorama has revealed that some children with mental health problems are not receiving treatment until they are in crisis and sometimes suicidal.

With at least one area's child and adolescent mental health service (Camhs) found to be rationing care, leading psychiatrist Jon Goldin described the service as ‘not fit for purpose’.

The demand for Camhs services are increasing at a quickening pace, with at least one in 10 children thought to have a diagnosable condition, leaving many areas struggling to keep pace. A leaked letter from Waltham Forest service in London highlights that for six months earlier this year it raised its threshold for treatment, so that only the most seriously ill children - such as those with psychosis - were treated.

Paranormal suggests that only one in four children with a mental health condition currently receives treatment, which is backed up by the Association of Child Psychotherapists, which claims that it has heard of cases of children having to make multiple suicide attempts in order access care.

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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