Mental Health Services: Children

(asked on 30th November 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) how many children are waiting for emergency mental health treatment and (b) what steps he will take to help those children access that treatment as soon as possible.


Answered by
Gillian Keegan Portrait
Gillian Keegan
Secretary of State for Education
This question was answered on 3rd December 2021

No such estimate has been made, as there is not currently a waiting time standard for children’s mental health services.

However, NHS England and NHS Improvement have consulted on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards. These include urgent referrals to community based mental health crisis services being seen within 24 hours from referral and very urgent referrals being seen within four hours. Additionally, children and young people presenting to community-based mental health services, should start to receive care within four weeks from referral. This consultation closed on 1 September 2021 and the outcomes will inform a recommendation to the Government in due course on whether and how to implement these new access standards.

We are investing an additional £79 million in 2021/22 to expand children’s and young people’s mental health services, including urgent or emergency care. The funding will allow around 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services, as well as accelerating the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges. In addition, for those with severe needs or in crisis, all National Health Service mental health providers have established all-age 24 hours a day, seven days a week urgent mental health helplines. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to invest at least an additional £2.3 billion a year into mental health services in England by 2023/24. This will see an additional 345,000 children and young people accessing NHS-funded mental health support by 2023/24.

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