National waiting time standards for children and young people in Scotland accessing mental health services have been met for the first time in more than a decade.

A total of 90.6% of children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks of a referral to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) between October to December 2024, according to Public Health Scotland data.

Under national CAHMS standards, 90% of children and young people should start mental health treatment within 18 weeks of referral.

This makes it the first time NHS Scotland has met its target since it was set in December 2014.

Mental wellbeing minister Maree Todd said it is “testament to the dedicated of the staff who work so hard to help the children and young people they care for”.

However, an alliance of specialist care and education providers for vulnerable children and young people said it remains “extremely alarming” that 145 young people are still waiting more than a year to access treatment.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition said cases of poor mental health in children and young people are at unprecedented levels, and under-resourced services continue to struggle to keep pace.

A spokesperson for the Coalition said:

“We are facing a mental health emergency, and many of our children and young people are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels as they battle with the long shadow of lockdown and the rising cost of living.

“This is also having a major effect on classroom behaviour, impacting the young people concerned, their fellow pupils and staff.

“Each one of these statistics is an individual, and we would urge the Scottish government ensure the adequate resourcing of mental health services for our children and young people so that they can get the care and support they need, without lengthy waits.”

More than half of the children and young people who have been waiting more than a year to access CAMHS live in Lothian, with the health board’s failure to improve waiting times leading to formal escalation last month.

Meanwhile, the Royal College of Psychiatrists Scotland said the data on CAMHS waiting times might not reflect the true reality, as it urged the government not to “assume the job is now done”.

Chair of the College’s CAMHS Faculty, Dr Kandarp Joshi, said:

“Alarmingly, waiting times may be even higher because the Scottish government don’t report on the wait after a young person’s first assessment. They also don’t take into the account the waiting times for neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism or ADHD - which are also on the rise.

“Working on the frontline we see a postcode lottery of specialist mental health services across the country, but our vulnerable children and young people deserve so much better than this.

“Targets are missed but what we need is ringfenced funding and resources ploughed in at local level.”

Dr Joshi added that the government must keep its promise to deliver 10% of total NHS spend towards mental health, including 1% for CAMHS as children with complex mental health conditions “need investment more than ever”.

Around 0.82% of total NHS frontline spend was on CAMHS services in 2023/24.

Mental wellbeing minister Ms Todd acknowledged that much more must done to ensure everyone in Scotland can access support when they need it, adding:

“However, we are on the right path and the £123m we have allocated to NHS boards this year will mean the quality and delivery of all mental health services – including CAMHS - will continue to improve.”

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