Children with mental health problems are waiting up to 18 months to be treated, a government-ordered report will reveal next week, in an indictment of the poor care many receive. A Care Quality Commission report into child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) will warn that long delays for treatment are damaging the health of young people with anxiety, depression and other conditions. Children can wait months after referral before their initial assessment and then further months before they start treatment. Shortcomings in child and adolescent mental health services care mean some children end up experiencing a full-blown mental health crisis, she said. Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner for England, last week said there was “shockingly poor support” for children with mental health problems.

Source: The Guardian October 20, 2017 18:00 UTC