WE were delighted to see the Agenda article from Jim Hume ("Mental health must no longer be treated as a Cinderella service", The Herald, October 20), raising concerns over the adequate provision of mental health services in Scotland.
As a coalition of independent and third sector children and young people's service providers we too have highlighted these issues with the Scottish Government and MSPs.
There are indeed, as Mr Hume highlights, Scottish Government waiting time targets for treatment from specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). However, only five of the 14 health boards have met a 26-week waiting time target for treatment introduced in March, 2013 and only four an 18-week waiting time target which comes into force this December.
This is against a background of figures published recently from the Mental Welfare Commission indicating that the number of children being admitted to non-specialist mental health units such as adult and paediatric wards has, due to a strain on resources, increased from 177 last year to 202. This means that they may not be getting the appropriate support they require.
In addition to this the number of mental health officers - specialist social workers - has dropped by more than three per cent in a year to 674, blamed on retirement and increased workloads.
As referrals for treatment increase it is absolutely vital to ensure there is adequate provision for mental health services in the Scottish Government's 2015/16 budget.
It is those children and young people requiring these services most who are missing out, some of the most vulnerable in our society and we would urge the Scottish Government to get a grip on what is quickly becoming a major crisis.
The Scottish Children's Services Coalition,comprising:
Sophie Pilgrim, director, Kindred Scotland; Sophie Dow, founder, Mindroom; Tom McGhee, managing director, Spark of Genius; Duncan Dunlop, chief executive, Who Cares? Scotland; Stuart Jacob, director, Falkland House School; Brian Durham, Managing Director, Young Foundations,
2 Walker Street, Edinburgh.
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