PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Mental Health Services: Children (15 October 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of children referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) received a routine assessment within four weeks of referral in Enfield North constituency in the last 12 months; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for CAMHS.

Asked by:
Feryal Clark (Labour)

The information requested is not available as a national access and waiting times standard for child and adolescent mental health services has not yet been defined.

To help reduce waiting times, NHS England and NHS Improvement have consulted on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards as part of its clinically-led review of access standards. This includes a standard that children, young people, and their families/carers presenting to community-based mental health services, should receive care within four weeks from referral. The consultation closed on 1 September 2021 and NHS England and NHS Improvement expect to publish the response to the consultation by the end of this year.

We have announced an additional £79 million to significantly expand capacity in children’s mental health services in 2021/22. This will allow approximately 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services; 2,000 more children and young people to access eating disorder services; and a faster increase in the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges.

Answered by:
Gillian Keegan (Conservative)
26 October 2021