Over half of children waiting more than nine weeks for mental health services

Over half of young people are waiting nine weeks or more for a mental health assessment

More than half of children and young people waiting to access mental health services in Northern Ireland are waiting nine weeks or more, new figures have shown.

At the end of March 2024 there were a total of 1,990 children and young people waiting for an assessment, of which 1,026 (52%) were waiting for nine weeks or more, according to figures published by the Department of Health.

The Northern Trust was the highest with 611 waiting, and 446 waiting longer than nine weeks.

After a peak of over 2,300 in March 2023 waiting lists have been going down, but the waiting lists and times remains higher than pre-pandemic levels.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said the CAHMS service has experienced pressures resulting from increased demand for services, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and resource constraints.

They said this included young people presenting with higher levels of acuity and complexity of need, particularly in relation to eating disorders.

“As a result, young people have required higher and more intensive levels of support, including inpatient care. Despite this, significant progress has been made in reducing waiting lists with a 26% reduction in those waiting for more than the 9-week target since 2022,” the spokesperson said.

It is envisaged that longer term improvement in CAMHS in Northern Ireland will be achieved through the implementation of The Mental Health Strategy 2021-31.

The department added that “good progress” has been achieved, including additional funding to assist with increased capacity and the roll out of the Acute CAMHS Managed Care Network.

Work is also underway to increase CAMHS funding to 10% of adult mental health funding.