Seven week wait for mental health services

YOUTHS experiencing mental health problems are having to wait nearly seven weeks for an appointment with a specialist in Dumfries and Galloway, new figures have revealed. At the same time, the number of children and young people seeking mental health support in the region has been steadily increasing over the last year, writes Marc McLean. The number currently on the waiting list for an initial assessment with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) stood at 190 just a couple of months ago. Demand isn’t as high for adults, but still there were 128 people on the waiting list for access to Adult Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) by mid-December. These statistics were obtained through a freedom of information request to NHS Dumfries and Galloway. The health board confirmed the average CAMHS waiting times for an appointment was 6.6 weeks (adults was lower at six weeks) in 2024/25, while the longest was 63 weeks. The previous year the average CAMHS waiting times was 7.3 weeks and the longest was 40 weeks. However, health chiefs stressed the longest wait stats were “misleading” due to exceptional circumstances such as appointments being rescheduled or patients not attending. More and more young people are requiring mental health support, as evidenced by the number of new referrals to CAMHS over the last couple of years, which have increased every quarter. A spokesman for NHS Dumfries and Galloway said: “The average wait for CAMHS appointments has reduced. The ‘longest wait’ figure can be misleading, as it may reflect exceptional circumstances such as appointments being rescheduled or patients not attending, rather than typical waiting times. All patients are being offered appointments within the Scottish Government target of 18 weeks.”