Key mental health targets breached for 168,000 people

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton today marked ten years since Scotland’s mental health waiting targets were introduced by revealing that they have been breached for at least 168,128 people on the SNP Government’s watch.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request shows that since the 18-week mental health targets were introduced on 1 December 2014, in total:

• The CAMHS target was missed for at least 43,670 children and young people;
• The psychological therapies (PT) target has been missed for 124,458 patients;
• The PT target was missed for 15,151 patients in 2023 – more people than in any other year since their introduction.

The 18-week treatment targets should be met for 90% of patients - standards that have never been met for children or adults.

Commenting on the figures, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

"Mental health has become a signature issue for my party because we know that if you break your arm you’d expect to have it in a cast by the end of the day, but the wait for mental health treatment can be months if not years. Nobody should have to endure that.

“SNP ministers have unleashed tens of millions of cuts on overwhelmed mental health services. They have made it so much harder to bring down waiting lists and get everyone seen.

“Scotland needs world-class mental health services. By investing in driving down mental health waiting times we can help people get back to work and make the most of their education.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats led the charge in getting the Scottish Parliament to declare a mental health crisis. Since then we have set out a detailed plans to fund more mental health support in schools, get more professionals close to where you live, and ramp up the training of new staff and mental health first aiders.

“The SNP haven’t met the waiting time targets once in the 10-years since they were introduced. It’s time to put an end to their decade of failure.”