2,500 young people on waiting list for mental health services

THERE were 2,517 young people on a waiting list to access mental health services at the end of the first quarter of this year — 346 of whom have been waiting for more than a year, official figures have shown.

Just over 1,000 of those were waiting less then three months, but a further 960 have been waiting for more than six months.

An initiative to tackle the issue of waiting lists within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) has been operating to ensure 70% of new cases an initial appointment within three months.