PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Mental Health Services: Children and Young People (25 July 2019)

We have introduced two waiting time standards for children and young people with particular conditions and the National Health Service is on track to meet both of these.

The first aims for 95% of children (up to 19 years old) with eating disorders to receive treatment within a week for urgent cases and four weeks for routine cases. 80.6% of children and young people’s eating disorder patients started urgent treatment within one week and 82.4% of patients started routine treatment within four weeks in the period January – March 2019.

The second aims for 50% of patients of all ages experiencing a first episode of psychosis to receive treatment within two weeks of referral. Nationally, the National Health Service is exceeding the target with 76.7% of patients starting treatment within two weeks in May 2019.

As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England is piloting four week waiting times in 12 areas across the country to establish how to achieve a four week waiting time for all children and young people’s community mental health services.

Under the Plan, NHS England will also ensure that specific waiting times targets for emergency mental health services for all, including children and young people, will take effect from 2020.