‘Agonising' waits for children’s mental health care

A BBC investigation has found that children struggling with mental health problems during the pandemic are facing ‘agonisingly’ long waits for treatment.

Data from half of England's specialist child mental health services found one in five youngsters seen since the pandemic started waited longer than 12 weeks for care, with the numbers still waiting seeming to be rising sharply.

NHS England acknowledged the pandemic had been very difficult for children and young people, but it said it was in the process of significantly expanding access to services to ensure they received quick access to care. The organisation hopes that, by 2023, services will help support another 345,000 children and young people - on top of the 420,000 being seen currently.

Specialist care is provided by a network known as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS teams include psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and social workers who support children with conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia.

During 2020-21, they saw 420,000 children and young people - although an estimated 1.5 million under-18s are thought to have a mental health disorder.

Data obtained by the BBC from 46 of England's services from April 2020 to March 2021 showed that half of those who were seen waited longer than four weeks, a fifth waited more than 12 weeks and that the average wait was more than two months - although in some areas it topped eight.