Young people are waiting ‘so long’ for a diagnosis from mental health services that they are having to go private, health bosses have heard, amid backlogs on the Isle of Wight.
The waits were raised by a member of the public at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s (HIWHNFT) Annual Members Meeting in Eastleigh last week.
On the Isle of Wight, waits for accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) services have previously been described as ‘totally unacceptable’ by health committee councillor Paul Fuller.
As of May, the average wait to first contact with Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) services on the Island was 4.3 weeks against a national target of four weeks, according to an NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight report.
The attendee at yesterday’s meeting said:
“What’s happening about CAMHS because I talk to people I know – they’re waiting so long to get a diagnosis they’re going private – but when they go private they can’t go back in, can they?”
In response, Ron Shields, chief executive at HIWHNFT, said:
“As you’re describing and as you know from experience, there are still too many young people waiting for too long.
Article continues below this advertisement “We’ve tried to look at parts of that – so for example, the biggest element of the waiting list is for those young people with ADHD and looking for a diagnosis.
“In that particular area, what we’re trying to do is to recognise that actually a whole system has been set up on trying to work around a diagnosis and having too many people waiting to be diagnosed is the wrong approach.
“The point about movement between private diagnosis and then support is sometimes a challenge; it isn’t the case that people are debarred from service because they’ve sought private opinion but when people are alternating between the two, that sometimes is a challenge.
“We always look at it on individual basis, we will always try then to make sure people get the services they need from the NHS.”
ADHD, why are there so many nowadays, the definition of ADHD sounds like just normal growing up and learning how society functions, unfortunately with a lot of parents just looking at their mobile phones half the day and the television full of “soaps” with not very good examples of “good” behaviour plus the exposure to technology much to early, we are doomed.
And, don’t get me started on ultra sound scans on 3 month old foetuses and the damage that might do on a developing brain.
Of course, a diagnosis of ADHD and neurodiversity comes with “benefits”!
Because so much of the teacher work force and parents along with media are woke. They assume everyone has a mental issue or worse push them to be something they are not. Life is hard enough with out adding that garbage in then assuming the kid is off their phone and gaming system long enough maybe they can be normal
You clearly do not understand what “woke” means – it has nothing to do with mental health or kids on phones. I suspect that what is much closer to the truth is the link between having your child formally diagnosed with autism or ADHD and the immediate access to financial advantage from state benefits (much of which will never be spent for the benfit of the child anyway.
Why are there so many? Because ADHD and autism in general are now realised as part of cluster autoimmune disorders with genetic mutations and maternal immune activation and because enough research hasn’t been done on them because having ADHD won’t actually kill you. The plug was pulled on the genome project which could have identified and modified the genes responsible. If you bothered to pay attention and look a little deeper at familial links you’d probably discover grandmothers with rheumatoid arthritis, mothers with lupus, diabetes, and a whole host of other cluster diseases also classed as disabilities. On the mental health side of those clusters there’s also bi-polar, schizophrenia and organic dementia. The difference with ADHD though is that you can’t SEE it and there is no blood test and so therefore you think it doesn’t exist.
Let me know what benefits you think not being able to concentrate at school gives kids, not being able to work through four instructions at once (only remembering the first), what constantly being told off because of it might do to a kids mental wellbeing and then have an opinion.
years ago, attention deficit at school was addressed with a back hander across the face – that always, without exception, focused your attention.
hyper activity in the class room, was dealt with by the threat of corporal punishment – there was never, ever any issues like this in classrooms of old
And no-one understood why. They also didn’t understand that a back-hander across the face of a child was physical abuse. Y’know, in the same way that years ago people didn’t understand that owning people was slavery.
And the reason there were fewer ‘issues’ was because there were fewer children with inherited GENETIC MUTATIONS that caused disabilities like ADHD.
Thank gawd for education and relevant recent information, eh?
Years ago. So you decry advancements in mental health analysis? Durr
Well said
Just an excuse to create an easy benefit life.
I thought this Government was stopping benefits soon.
The late Norman Tebbit once said get on your bikes!
Time to ditch the smartphones and vapes and do what
we done years ago.
Get out more, enjoy nature, play football, even join
the scouts etc etc.
Nowdays youngsters idea of playing sports etc
is on their phones or tablets.
I don’t remember ADHD years ago, nowdays everyone
is jumping on the bandwagon it is fashionable.
Including doctors who have to assess, evidence and report cases which the education department uses as evidential criteria of difficulties for the DWP to pay out benefits? Or did you just think it was self imagined, self reported and taken as gospel by the DWP?
You never cease to amaze.
ADHD isn’t just bad behaviour you muppet, and is as distressing for adults and children sufferers as it is for those supporting them. Without proper professional intervention it can be intolerable. If you know anything about the “definition of ADHD” I’ll eat several hats. Incidentally, you do know that ultrasound scans for pregnancy were introduced in the ‘70s don’t you? (Actually, based on the evidence so far, you probably don’t.) Virtually everyone you know of 50 and under will have had a routine ultrasound in the womb. I think we’d have noticed the adverse effects by now.
As someone who worked in a patient facing role for many years. I hope all the layers of managers, so called “trainers/ support officers and others stealing a living on NHS wages for very little effort and even less benefit to patient care are reading this.
Massive reform is needed to dump all the non patient facing staff who create their own job roles, spend their days wandering to the canteen in between sitting in team meetings. They’re sinking the NHS and should be ashamed of themselves.
Many not required NHS employees are STILL shirking
from home, they set their own hours / days of employment
When Reform get in they will do away with the NHS
I remember when it was the National Health Service,
nowdays it’s The No Hope Service
It doesn’t matter which Government is in power and how
much money they pump in to the NHS
it’s finished!
It employs too many shirkers who are only in it
for the salaries, pensions and additional benefits
and perks.
Cheap ferry fares etc etc
I remember when it was a calling to work for the
NHS, thosedsys have passed.
How do you know that there are lots of people who are “not required” and that they set their own hours and days to work? Sounds like insider information – or is it simply rather malicious supposition? Are you suggesting that people who work for the NHS should do so as a “calling” and therefore work for nothing? NHS employees have to live – they pay bills, eat, have children to support. Should doctors work unpaid or dentists? Did you have a calling or did you expect to be remunerated for attending your place of work?
He’s probably on the spectrum but doesn’t realise. Ironically
The level of ignorance displayed by some who are commenting on this subject is breathtaking. Historically, even as recently as the early 80’s, many children were just labelled as disruptive and or “thick”. Many more children are now diagnosed with specific conditions because these conditions have been identified, researched and are real. These children have always existed and do not know or have much control over how they behave or how they are “hard wired”. Yes, I am inclined to agree there is diabolical parenting going on; there is too great a political agenda in the classroom; there are too many “playing the system” etc, etc. However, the bigger and more insidious problem is the children in schools who actively seek out children with specific needs and “trigger” them deliberately – for a laugh – and who know exactly what they are up to.Our education system is antiquated and not fit for purpose – especially in today’s hi tech world but to modify it to suit would just be too costly to to make it happen. Many children have always had difficulties learning in the way our system teaches – one system fits all but actually fits no-one – and many children have trouble communicating in ways the ignorant call “normal”.Quite often a child can only be heard by “acting out” but I suspect the mis-informed just heap the same old rhetoric of bad parents and bad behaviour on these young people. The SEND provision on the Island is a farce and is being run using unlawful practices our LA is using the NHS to fund children with severe medical conditions access to their legally entitled education provision. The mental health situation is equally farcical with many children being lost when they transition from paediatric care to adult care. I could go on but it will be lost on those making the ignorant comments.
Please don’t blame those you think are playing the system; a lot of the time it’s the cry of help to the system that’s been playing them for years by disregarding need in order to save costs, ie, tax contributions. It speaks more of ‘I’m alright, Jack’ and that investment in people (today’s children) is secondary to profit.
The ridiculousness of it is it would be far cheaper in the long run to treat ALL children as having individual need and doing away with a one-size fits all policy of normality both in terms of future mental health and the potential they possess.
This ADHD, Autism tsunami must stop. I have no doubt there are “real” cases but so many people are jumping on the bandwagon to get all the benefits and free travel to school etc, usually by rich parents who are to lazy to do anything else but screwing more money out of the state. And don’t give me the excuse that it is more checks and diagnosis being done, that is a myth. Plain and simply cash grabbing, and the gullible NHS and government believe it.
It’s not a myth, it’s cast iron fact. There’s a massive criteria for a formal diagnosis, and a very long wait. It’s assessed my multiple speciality doctors as well as different agencies before any ‘help’ is offered.
That’s a bit like saying dementia sufferers are putting it on so they can get home help.
Examples please