NHS mental health services turn away 150 vulnerable children a day

At least 150 children a day are being turned away by overstretched NHS mental health services as services head towards “crisis point”, the NSPCC children’s charity has warned.

More than 100,000 children referred to NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) have had their referrals rejected in the past two years, figures released under the Freedom of Information act show.

It means one sixth of the 650,000 young people, referred for psychological support to prevent their conditions deteriorating, were not seen.

The NSPCC said this total could be "significantly higher" as one in five trusts who responded to its Freedom of Information request failed to disclose the number of rejected referrals.

It also shows the significant disparities in how long patients are forced to wait to access the CAMHS service, which provides talking therapies with a therapist specialised in counselling young people's mental health.

Some areas provide access in just two days, while other areas young people are made to wait five-and-a-half months.

NHS watchdog, the Care Quality Commission has nonetheless flagged waits as long as 18 months in some areas.

As a result the NSPCC has called on the Government to focus on early intervention services, like CAMHS, to prevent the system reaching crisis point and leaving children to suffer in silence.

Sixty-six NHS trusts reported a total of 652,023 cases referred to their CAMHS services between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2017.

Of these 109,613 children were turned away. However, not all the trusts provided figures.

Another analysis, of the NHS’s local Clinical Commissioning Groups’ plans for children’s mental health services, found that 84 per cent had not made sufficient plans for supporting children who had been sexually abused or neglected.

A 14-year-old girl, who did not wish to be named, said the long waiting times made managing a mental illness even harder.

"I have been having some problems with eating," she said. "I have always hated my body and felt fat from a very young age. I have been to CAMHS 3 or 4 times but there is such a waiting list in between, every time I go its for another assessment. It is so frustrating and I am finding it hard to cope."

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: “It is desperately sad to see so many young people facing distress around mental health issues being forced to wait months for assessment by CAMHS, many of whom are then rejected for treatment altogether. This risks leaving them in limbo while their condition potentially reaches crisis point.

“We recognise the hard work of mental health professionals in trying to help young people get their lives back on track. However, too many children who need help are struggling access support and treatment which can help them to recover. The Government’s upcoming Green Paper on mental health must urgently evaluate the early support systems available to young people to ensure that no child is left to suffer in silence.”

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Mental health is a priority for this Government and we are determined to transform services for young people — that's why we are putting a record £1.4 billion into children and young people's mental health.

"Decisions on access to any health services are made on the basis of clinical need, but we know there is more to do, which is why the forthcoming Green Paper on children and young people's mental health will set out plans to boost early intervention and help ensure that no one is turned away from services they need.”