The Scottish Government have been told to “get a grip” as Grampian youngsters face among the worst waiting times for mental health treatment in the country.
“Scandalous” new figures reveal that fewer than half of young people suffering mental health difficulties in the north-east were treated within the target 18 weeks.
Only NHS Forth Valley – which managed to treat just 44.2% of patients on time – has worse statistics in Scotland.
NHS Grampian has blamed the failing on short staffing, while the Scottish Conservatives branded it “simply not acceptable”.
Aberdeenshire West MSP Alexander Burnett said: “Families across the north-east will be concerned to hear that NHS Grampian is the second worst performing health board in the country when it comes to treatment times for young people with mental health problems.
“This is yet another issue which the SNP government needs to get a grip on.
“To have fewer than half of patients seen within a very generous 18-week time frame is simply not acceptable.
“We need to identify what the problems are in Grampian and ensure that the resources are in place to provide the level of care and treatment that these vulnerable young people require.”
A total of 14 health boards across Scotland failed to meet the target of treating 90% of people within 18-weeks, with NHS Grampian only managing 49.1%.
Scottish Labour’s Monica Lennon MSP added: “The number of patients, especially children, waiting longer than they should have for mental health treatment is simply scandalous.
“If these numbers were replicated for physical treatment there would be an outcry.”
An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately, staff vacancies had a considerable impact on service capacity throughout the quarter, with an average 15% fewer staff.
“We have undertaken extensive work to improve this situation and during April there was only a 5% reduction in service capacity.
“Over the last three years referrals have increased by 24% and we still have low staffing levels compared to other areas in Scotland.
“All these factors have contributed to our services not meeting waiting times targets.
“However, we are implementing plans to increase service capacity to improve performance. While recruiting more clinicians remains our key priority, in the meantime we are also continuing to proactively target the longest waiting patients based on their clinical need.”
