Parents anxious over lengthy waiting times for children requiring mental health services

Children and young people being treated for mental health disorders have to contend with regular postponement of appointments and lengthy waiting times, parents have told MaltaToday.

The children are users of the Children and Young People’s Services, a unit based at St Luke’s Hospital that offers assessments and management for mental disorders in young people.

Parents said that in some instances, appointments that would have been scheduled several months before end up being cancelled and shifted forward by “several more months”.

The situation is causing anxiety, especially among parents who cannot afford the specialist fees charged in the private sector.

A Health Ministry spokesperson told MaltaToday that urgent cases are given priority and seen within one or two months, depending on the urgency and severity of the case.

But the ministry provided no information on the average time for a first specialist review for non-urgent cases, saying this depended on the particular specialist.

Opposition education spokesperson Justin Schembri says it is unacceptable that we have an important government service that is not functioning well

“Non-urgent cases are reviewed by nurse health professionals working within CYPS and then discussed with the multidisciplinary team. In these cases, the waiting time depends on the particular specialist,” the spokesperson said.

A 2014 study that evaluated waiting times at CYPS found that the average time for a first specialist review was over 300 days. At the time the authors said the CYPS waiting times did not follow guidelines recommended by NHS Scotland’s Local Delivery Plan Standards, which suggest children should not wait for more than 18 weeks from referral to treatment.

It is unclear whether there has been any improvement in the average waiting time since then.

The latest data provided by the ministry shows that there are 2,634 children and young people being treated for mental health disorders at the CYPS. Additionally, there are 180 new users waiting for their first appointment.

Asked about waiting times between follow-up appointments, the health ministry said this also depended on the client’s requirements.

“An individual might require a review after three weeks, whilst another after six months. To address waiting times, a multidisciplinary approach is adopted within CYPS, with cases being triaged and referred to various health professionals within the CYPS team,” the spokesperson said.

Complaints about the lengthy waiting times for treatment at CYPS were first flagged by Nationalist MP Justin Schembri in a Facebook post last month. He told MaltaToday that some parents who approached him spoke of follow-up appointments that are given one year away.

“Children with difficulties requiring the services of the CYPS should be treated without delay but we have a situation where appointments are not only not being given four months apart but in some instances, being cancelled with children having to wait for a whole year between sessions,” Schembri said.

He insisted this situation did not bode well for the continuous development of children, especially those in a more vulnerable state.

“It is unacceptable that we have an important government service that is not functioning well… if we truly believe in inclusion, the service has to drastically improve, be effective and provided with adequate resources,” Schembri said.

The PN education spokesperson also called for better “synchronisation” between the CYPS and schools, and the strengthening of nurture classes in schools.

The 2014 study had found that users of CYPS identified the opening hours as a possible issue, since appointments are all given during school hours. This indirectly forced young people to choose between attending classes or visiting the clinic.

Meanwhile, the ministry said a call for applications for a consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry has been issued to bolster resources.