WIREDGOV

£100 million fund will help meet targets

The Scottish Government’s new £100 million fund to improve mental health services will provide crucial help to further reduce mental health waiting times.

Statistics published by ISD Scotland yesterday show that 78.9 per cent of CAMHS patients were seen within 18 weeks in the first quarter of 2015, the same as the previous quarter. For psychological therapies 82.8 per cent were seen within 18 weeks, an increase from 81.4 per cent last quarter.

The Scottish Government has set a 90% target for both waiting times, the first such target in the UK.

The average wait for patients requiring CAMHS treatment is nine weeks, and people requiring urgent access to services are seen as a priority.

The £100 million mental health fund was announced on Sunday. Spread over five years, it will be used to further improve CAMHS and extend access to psychological therapies and other services. It will also focus on better responses to mental health in primary care, promoting wellbeing through physical activity, and improving patient rights.

Workforce levels for mental health services are at record levels in Scotland. The CAMHS workforce has risen by 45 per cent since 2008. More than £16 million has been invested specifically in developing the CAMHS workforce since 2009. In addition there are 64 more applied psychologists working in adult services compared with last year.

Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn, said:

“Waiting times for mental health treatments have come down significantly in recent years, despite a large increase in demand. However, having become the first country in the UK to set waiting times targets in this area, we are absolutely determined to maintain that improvement and reach the targets we have set.

“We have already invested a significant amount in mental health services, leading to record levels of specialists. The £100 million fund we have recently announced will be key when it comes to making the further improvements we need.

“Through this substantial fund, we will be able to extend capacity, improve access to services and promote innovation and new ways of treating people.”

Background:

CAMHS and psychological therapy waiting times and workforce statistics can be viewed athttp://www.isdscotland.org/