Regulator warns of ‘ticking time bomb’ in mental health services for the young
by Samuel Montgomery
Mar 21, 2024
4 minutes
Short staffing, underfunding and severe treatment delays have made mental health services for children and young people a “ticking time bomb”, the health regulator has warned.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said a record high of nearly half a million – 496,897 children and young people in England were waiting to access or undergoing mental health treatment in November 2023.
These children face an average waiting time of 40 days from referral to treatment, the regulator’s Monitoring the Mental Health Act report said citing 2021/22 Children’s Commissioner data.
Without access to good, timely care, children with mental health needs are at increased risk of
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