CAMHS: Over half waiting over nine weeks for mental health assessment

Over half of children and young people waiting for a mental health assessment in Northern Ireland at the end of the last quarter, were waiting for longer than nine weeks.

That is according to new figures by the Department of Health.

At 31 March 2024, there were 1,990 total waits, of which 1,026 were waiting for more than two months.

The Northern Trust had the highest numbers waiting for a CAMHS assessment, 611, whilst the Southern and Western Trusts had the least numbers waiting, 434.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Northern Trust said:

"We regret that children and young people in the Northern Trust area are facing the longest waits to access our CAMH service.

"Our teams triage referrals to ensure the most urgent referrals are prioritised. Children requiring urgent assessment and intervention within the context of an acute episode of poor mental health will always be seen without delay by the Trust’s Crisis Service.

"Figures presented by the Northern Trust over the course of 2023 demonstrate that we have made steady progress on reducing CAMHS waiting times. This progress has been maintained into 2024.

"The Northern Trust provides health and social care to almost a quarter (24.7%) of Northern Ireland’s total population of 0-17 year-olds (107,485, 2021 NI Census).

"Like many other areas of the health and social care system, CAMHS are facing significant pressures as a result of increased demand for services and resource constraints.

"We are hopeful that longer-term improvements can be achieved through the implementation of the Department of Health’s Mental Health Strategy which sets out priority actions which will directly benefit children and young people in need of mental health support and assist with improving overall CAMHS performance."