In 2018-19, approximately a quarter of children and young people (CYP) referred to specialist mental health services were not accepted into treatment.
This is according to the January 2020 Education Policy Institute report on access to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
The study examines access to specialist services, waiting times for treatment, and provision for the most vulnerable children in England.
The report finds:
- On average, providers in London rejected 17% of referrals, compared to approximately 28% in the South of England and Midlands and East, and 22% in the North
- Referrals were most commonly rejected because providers considered young people’s conditions to be unsuitable for CAMHS, or because they did not meet the eligibility criteria or age specification for the service
- The longest median waiting times were found in London (65 days) and the shortest in the Midlands and East of England (49 days).
