The Scottish Parliament

Question reference: S6W-37318

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-04562 by Neil Gray on 24 April 2025, whether the progress made towards meeting the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) waiting time standard would have been possible without changes in the approach to making neurodevelopmental assessments, such as NHS Tayside CAMHS no longer accepting neurodevelopmental referrals for young people without co-morbid mental health problems.

The Public Health Scotland CAMHS waiting times statistics capture children and young people who meet the CAMHS criteria. We continue to see a significant and sustained improvement in CAMHS waiting times, despite continuing high demand from children and young people who need mental health support.

The CAMHS waiting time statistics do not include children seeking a neurodevelopmental assessment unless they have a comorbid mental health condition because they do not meet the CAMHS criteria. This is stated in the publication of CAMHS statistics.

CAMHS is a specialist mental health service and is simply not the appropriate service for children and young people seeking diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition, unless they are seeking support for a co-existing mental health condition. For many young people, support through a neurodevelopmental pathway will be more appropriate.

Question reference: S6W-37322

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the proportion of referrals not accepted by child and adolescent mental health services has reportedly increased over the last year.

There will always be referrals to CAMHS that are not accepted as CAMHS only provide the right support for a small proportion of children and young people. Children who require neurodevelopmental support are not reported in these statistics unless they have co-morbid mental health issues, but may be included within total referral figures, leading to lower accepted referral rates in some Boards.

Public Health Scotland has started publishing data from the CAMHS and Psychological Therapies National Dataset (CAPTND), including referrals to CAMHS by sex, age and SIMD as well as reasons for referral not being accepted.

However, CAPTND is still under development, and any inferences or conclusions drawn from this data should be treated with caution. Work is ongoing between NHS Boards, Public Health Scotland, and the Scottish Government to improve the consistency and completeness of the information.

Question reference: S6W-37323

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there is a relationship between its waiting times target for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) being met in the final quarter of 2024 and the reported increase in the proportion of referrals not being accepted by CAMHS.

There will always be referrals to CAMHS that are not accepted as CAMHS only provide the right support for a small proportion of children and young people. Children who require neurodevelopmental support are not reported in these statistics unless they have co-morbid mental health issues, but may be included within total referral figures, leading to lower accepted referral rates in some Boards.

The National CAMHS specification includes a clear expectation that children and young people whose referral is not accepted for CAMHS are sensitively and appropriately signposted to a more suitable service, such as our community-based supports.

We have provided local authorities with over £65 million since 2020 to fund community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children, young people and their families. This £15 million per annum funding will continue through the local government finance settlement from 2025-26.

We will continue to work with NHS Boards and partners to monitor the National Specification’s implementation, to improve services and support for children and young people and their families.

Question reference: S6W-37324

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the most common reasons that are currently being given by NHS boards for not accepting referrals to child and adolescent mental health services.

Question reference: S6O-04621

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported intimation from the British Medical Association that it is considering a formal dispute with it over GP underfunding.

Question reference: S6O-04549

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with EU member states regarding Scotland's alignment with EU policies, in light of the election of President Trump.

Question reference: S6T-02448

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what practical steps it is taking to review the funding model for Scottish universities, in light of recent reports that the number of international students enrolled at Scottish universities fell by more than 10% between 2023 and 2024.

Question reference: S6O-04497

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the proposal by Scotland's Rural College to close the animal care unit at its Elmwood Campus in Cupar, following the sale of the farm and closure of the student accommodation.

Question reference: S6W-35774

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations in the Shelter Scotland report, In Their Own Words: Children’s Experiences in Temporary Accommodation, whether it will guarantee access to mental health support for all children experiencing homelessness.

Question reference: S6W-35776

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations in the Shelter Scotland report, In Their Own Words: Children’s Experiences in Temporary Accommodation, what steps it will take to improve data sharing between relevant public bodies in areas such as health, housing, homelessness and education, to help decision makers plan better services and improve outcomes for families experiencing homelessness.

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