Children with mental health problems

Children with mental health problems are having to wait up to 18 months for treatment leading some to self-harm, a leaked study of NHS services has reportedly found.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) document reportedly claims that youngsters living with health conditions such as anxiety and depression are having their illnesses worsened by long delays.

The Government-commissioned study comprises a wide-reaching assessment of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) across England.

Children with mental health problems are having to wait up to 18 months for treatment, a leaked study of NHS services has reportedly found (Stock image)

The report will show alarm at the number of under-18s who encounter difficulties after they are referred for specialist treatment by their GP or teacher, the Guardian reported.

The paper, seen by the Guardian, also revealed that the report suggests a rising demand for care has coincided with decreases in the numbers of staff and subsequent levels of care, with particular strain occurring at weekends.

However, the report will also note that young people who do get help are given ‘caring’ assistance from NHS staff.

A CQC spokesman stressed that the analysis was still in draft form and ‘subject to change’.

He said: ‘We have been tasked by the Government to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the healthcare system to support children and young people’s mental health and help improve understanding of the pathways that they follow and the obstacles that they face.

‘We will publish the first stage of this thematic review next week.’

Jo Hardy, head of parental services at mental health charity, Young Minds, told the Guardian that ‘improvements have been happening in some areas’, but that a number of young people turn to self-harm when faced with long referral periods.

Some parents tell us that their children have started to self-harm during the wait or that they’ve dropped out of school 

She said: ‘Some parents tell us that their children have started to self-harm during the wait or that they’ve dropped out of school, which not only has a big impact on their own education, but also means that one of the parents has to give up their job to look after them.

‘We hear from parents who’ve separated because of the pressure the wait is putting on the whole family, or who talk about the damaging effect it’s having on their other children,’ she added.

But Claire Murdoch, mental health director for NHS England, said funding for CAMHS was going up after ‘years of under-investment’.

She said: ‘In the past year alone, the figures show young people’s mental health spending has gone up by £100 million.

‘This 15 per cent increase far outstrips the overall rise in mental health spending, which itself is now rising far faster than the overall NHS budget.’

She added: ‘Without a doubt, after years of drought, the NHS’s mental health funding taps have now been turned on.

‘So around the country, these critical services are beginning to expand and improve, with three quarters of young people now getting urgent eating disorder care within one week.’

Ms Murdoch also said there was still a long way to go to counter the ‘scale of unmet need’ in the health service, and stated it would take years of ‘concerted practical effort’ to solve gaps left by staff shortages in child psychiatry, therapy and nursing.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk