Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in England have long been under scrutiny with recent news headlines revealing record-level waiting times, an increase in referral numbers an apparent postcode lottery when it comes to accessing treatment.
Experts and professionals in the field have for years, criticised the ‘unsatisfactory’ nature of data collection and reporting in Children’s Mental Health Services which has meant that in order to gain any insight or understanding of the current landscape, researchers often have to manually collect data through Freedom of Information requests to each provider.
The process is time consuming and raises serious concerns about the consistency and reliability of reporting.
Young people in England today are face unique challenges including dealing with the fallout of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the cost of living crisis and academic catch up, which are taking a toll on their mental health.
Medical Negligence Assist set out to investigate the true extent of the issues surrounding children’s mental health services these include; waiting times, referral figures and primary causes as well as claims of a postcode lottery when it comes to accessing services.
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How We Conducted Our Research Into CAMHS
We sent out Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 74 trusts and boards that provide children and adolescent mental health services.
We asked for the number of CAMHS referrals in the last five years as well as the primary reason for referral. We also enquired about the average and maximum waiting times for treatments.
We also set out FOI requests to the 42 Integrated Care Boards across the NHS asking for the total spend of Children’s Mental Health.
Statistics On Child Referrals To CAMHS In The UK
How much each NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) spends of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services
(Total spend on CAMHS | % of overall ICB Budget)
East of England
[Table]
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
£21,039,035 | 0.8%
London
Midlands
Birmingham and Solihull
£29,561,078 | 1.4%
North East and Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
£31,794,000 | 1%
South East
Hampshire and Isle of Wight
£51,315,000 | 1.2%
Kent and Medway
£34,753,891 | 1.04%
No. of children referred to CAMHS (2023/24): 18,258
No. of children on waiting list (23/24): 871
South West
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
£21,749,345 | 1.9%
No. of children on waiting list (23/24): 218
Average waiting time: 119 days
Dorset
£16,450,450 | 1%
