As NHS England’s Fonagy review into mental health support reveals a ‘dire lack of support’ how NHS Scotland hit 90% or more target for 8th time in a row

In the Guardian today, we hear of  ‘an inquiry into England’s ever-extending waiting lists for the diagnosis of mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions, and the dire lack of support for people who experience one or both of them.’

BBC Scotland relies on another RCEM Scotland claim that A&E doctors are ‘completely terrified‘ in Scotland yet not so in England where the more than 12 hour waits strongly associated with excess death are twice as comon.

This is, of course, is fully swept under the Editor’s carpet:

From Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times Quarter ending June 2026 Published01 September 2026 (Latest release), the above and:

90.9% of people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral, which is a decrease from 91.2% for the previous quarter and a decrease from 91.8% for the same quarter ending June 2025. The Scottish Government standard states that 90% of children and young people should start treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS. The chart below shows performance in relation to this target over the past 4 years, illustrating the target was first achieved in quarter ending December 2024.

4,006 people were recorded as having started treatment in CAMHS. This is an increase of 3.8% (148) from the 3,858 people reported as starting treatment in the previous quarter and an increase of 1.3% (53) from the 3,953 patients who were reported as having started treatment in the quarter ending June 2025. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times-quarter-ending-june-2026/

How does this compare with England?

England does not apply the same 18-week “start of treatment” target to community CAMHS. A proposed 4-week standard exists but remains experimental and is not formally in force.

Children’s Commissioner analysis of 2024–25 data: more than 1 million children had an active referral during the year; 35% were still waiting at year-end; more than 60,000 had waited over two years; median wait for those who received treatment was 35 days, but overall median (including those still waiting) was 128 days. * https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/news-and-blogs/press-notice-over-a-million-children-referred-to-mental-health-services-with-highest-annual-referrals-as-demand-rises-faster-than-systems-can-respond/

Bearing in mind the limits NHS England seems to be hitting only 65% with 35% still waiting at year-end.

In short, Scotland is currently delivering most CAMHS treatment starts within its 18-week standard and has a comparatively small waiting list. England shows higher absolute demand, a much larger open-referral caseload, and a substantial proportion of children facing waits measured in many months or years. Direct like-for-like percentages are limited by the different metrics, but the Scottish data indicate more consistent delivery against a defined treatment-start target. https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/news-and-blogs/press-notice-over-a-million-children-referred-to-mental-health-services-with-highest-annual-referrals-as-demand-rises-faster-than-systems-can-respond/

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8 thoughts on “As NHS England’s Fonagy review into mental health support reveals a ‘dire lack of support’ how NHS Scotland hit 90% or more target for 8th time in a row”

  1. “BBC Scotland relies on another RCEM Scotland claim that A&E doctors are ‘completely terrified‘ in Scotland yet not so in England where the more than 12 hour waits strongly associated with excess death are twice as comon”

    Well , for the Scottish NHS, this is the kind of ammunition (which they think is political dynamite) , so then they regularly , as a UK media, dish it out , all in order to try to enable – to help equip – to empower – all of those political opponents of the SNP party to then also attack the SNP as the Scottish government.

    Then subsequently , the SNP’s political opponents , all (wrongly) assume that they are completely justified and so then entitled to also attack the SNP in them all declaring different versions of #SNPBAD.

    A rinse and repeat exercise in Scottish politics , mostly orchestrated by media like the BBC.

    Meanwhile in England and it’s NHS backlogs etc , well somehow that is to be seen as being different apparently .

    As in England’s NHS it is to be assumed that all of their real problems in their NHS are mostly caused by Doctors strikes and other NHS industrial action, Covid consequences , high patient demand , workforce shortages, aging population and other reasons that apparently do not similarly impact Scotland’s NHS ????

    Who knew and also who cares ?

    Well certainly not the media nor the political and individual opponents of the SNP, as some of these same above reasons also negatively impact our NHS (including Brexit consequences on our NHS) but they are seemingly not worth highlighting by those whose main motivation for all of their #SNPBAD news (that includes news on our NHS) is just to try to bring down the SNP in Scotland. Simples.

    Liz S

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  2. The Tories are promising to dismantle Holyrood. The BBC and MSM are doing their best to provide proof that Devolution is a failed experiment. The SNHS, Police, Courts, Education, Transport, Ferries, and Planning are all destined for the dustbin.

    Or, we can become independent.

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    1. “The SNHS, Police, Courts, Education, Transport, Ferries, and Planning are all destined for the dustbin”.

      Some within Scotland are apparently waiting for a miracle to happen, in their believing that yet another Labour HQ leader is the (latest) man to sort it all out for Scotland.

      Others apparently seem to agree with the Tories and Reform UK , as they as voters within Scotland want Scotland to be once again totally under the control of WM only.

      That then will ensure that Scotland will still be ignored, still under funded, still neglected, still disrespected , still failed by them, still suppressed, still abused and pretty much them , as UK governments, still attempting to further decimate that which was previously destroyed within Scotland by various other UK governments.

      Liz S

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    2. It’s much worse than you think, Capella. I can only speak for health and health tech but the entire Scottish health data infrastructure – the emerging MyCare.scot and many other dystopian services on top of ScotAccount (i.e. ScotCard = BritCard) has now been taken over by multinational (mainly US) companies with the hardware backup of BESS and hyperscale datacentres. And lo and behold the centralisation of public services announced in early September. It doesn’t matter whether Scotland is independent or not ( though I agree it is the only form of resistance), “we’re bought and sold for American Gold”

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  3. O/T

    I saw this headline online – Thursday 8 October The Edinburgh Evening News

    “Scottish Lib Dem leader and Edinburgh MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton denies manoeuvring against Christine Jardine”

    This is concerning the recent ageism row that has now seen Jardine declare that she will not stand as a Lib Dem candidate at the next GE.

    I also noted this online via an article written by an organisation called Centre Think Tank which stated:

    “Former Interim CEO of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Emma Walker, spoke about the lack of a trauma-informed system and detailed failures to tackle bullying, assault, abuse, and complaints being ignored. Emma also said a senior member of the complaints team within the party, “He was the one who kicked my complaint out and told me that men can touch me however they want.”

    A former Liberal Democrat staff member spoke to me about the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements, saying, “During my time with the Liberal Democrats, I witnessed and experienced practices that conflicted with both the party’s values and equality principles in general. Whistleblowing in this context was fraught with challenges. There were no clear processes, and volunteer-led committees often delayed progress. Pressure from above to retract my concerns was intense and framed as a threat to the party’s reputation. While I eventually moved forward, lifelong Non-Disclosure Agreements prevented me from talking about the details, and I faced career repercussions in a narrow field due to unfavourable references.”

    “Emma Walker also told me how even those who have not signed Non-Disclosure Agreements can be silenced. She said that they used legal pressure and potential career consequences to deter people from raising concerns in public or within the party”.

    Today Emma Walker on her ‘X’ account has typed out a past conversation that she alleges she had with Willie Rennie , where in that conversation he allegedly told her (in respect to a complaint that she had ) “Don’t report it. Don’t tell anyone as our local parties don’t select women who speak up”.

    Ms Walker also then included a video of a recent exchange between Willie Rennie & John Swinney where Mr Rennie said “And I would put to you that you should have serious concerns about Mr Flynn’s competence as a minister, because all the evidence to our committee has shown that he’s not on top of the issue in the way that he should be”

    I assume she did this to convey the alleged hypocrisy via Mr Rennie based on the alleged conversation that she states she had with him in the past where, if true, it would certainly convey someone “not on top of the issue in that way that should have been” when he, Rennie, was confronted with Ms Walker’s allegations and her obvious very emotional state.

    The word ‘dismissive’ springs to mind as does ‘cover up’ if, that is, her allegations and recollection of this conversation with Rennie are true and accurate.

    Ms Walker also observed in a separate post on X where she also alleges that :

    “I found out over the weekend that Alex’s chosen candidate is his best friend Councillor Kevin lang, who started seriously manoeuvring against Christine in 2019. Long term local party members will hate this as they were never happy about the Old Boys club that is Alex and Kevin”.

    The Edinburgh Evening News , on 8 October , posted this:

    “Scottish Lib Dem leader and Edinburgh MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton denies manoeuvring against Christine Jardine” .

    I’m sure this story will be covered extensively by BBC Scotland any day now , as they do love to report upon allegations , claims, speculation as well as opinions so why would they make an exception for the Lib Dem leader.

    Christine Jardine announced that “she will step down at the next general election following an internal row where she was told she was too old to continue”.

    “Jardine revealed she would not contest her seat after failing to be re-selected by her local party executive committee”

    “Sources close to her claimed she was being forced out by allies of the leadership”

    This story on Jardine was first reported in The Herald on 27 September 2026 with subsequent updates up to October by them.

    BTW Nothing has been noted on the Scottish Politics page of the BBC website in respect to this story about a MP who was elected in Scotland (nor indeed has anything been noted or written by the BBC in relation to Ms Walker’s allegations either against the Lib Dems and their #AskAlex – leader in Scotland).

    Wrong party obviously , as the BBC only respond when there is some assumed and hoped for political capital to be gained for parties in opposition to the SNP , in them, the BBC, promoting all and any stories whose intent is to convey #SNPBAD.

    Liz S

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  4. please read the comments on https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/10/11/why-does-the-royal-college-of-emergency-medicine-avoid-comparisons-with-scotland-when-they-reveal-england-to-be-the-capital-of-deadly-long-waits/ regarding the abuse RCEM is getting on this website when it is the reason for Scotland’s best truly NHS service. The only criticism I can make of the doctors leading the RCEM in Scotland is that they are relatively amateur politicians – hey, they’ve got real work to do. There’s nowhere to hide in a busy A&E…ok it’s American but watch tv series ‘The Pitt’. Every rare presentation in one episode for TV drama but it gives you a flavour of what these amazing people do and the anguish they suffer. They only want the best and provide it for every citizen from every background. Social equalisers. They gave you a fraction of the ‘corridor care’of rUK. Yes, their ‘amateur politician’ words are twisted and abused…as I said they have a real job to do. When the current A&E leadership and its spirit have gone you’ll know the NHS has gone. And that’s not far off. What about the ‘Greedy Bastard’ moonlighters to ‘private practice’ all subsidised by the state. Pick the right targets FGS!

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  5. Don’t know specifically about SCAMHS but NHS Scotland Digital Therapies Team (DTT) (formerly cCBT) is referring teenagers with mental health difficulties to an American AI system called SilverCloud which uses Microsoft AI (MAI). Owners of SilverCloud are Amwell, abbreviation for American Well, which I think entered the UK via takeover of the original UK ‘SilverCloud’ which might already have been entwined with Microsoft (not sure). Amwell have connections to a Who’s Who of American tech companies:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amwell_(company). Microsoft is not mentioned in the wikipedia article and there is no recent mention of Amazon even though one of the Amwell founding brothers Ido Schoenberg (president and CEO) or Roy Schoenberg (chairman and CEO) is now on the Amazon Health division and perhaps (don’t know) responsible for the emerging Amazon health AI. Both brothers served in the Israeli military though the nearest I can find to a Gaza connection is https://www.linkedin.com/posts/royschoenberg_i-am-writing-this-today-not-as-ceo-of-amwell-activity-7118266000390651904-CKw4 and I do note “Our prayers go to the numerous innocent people, on both sides…” Amwell is active in the Israeli health market. Israeli offshoot Altera Digital Health is also embedded throughout the NHS including Scotland https://go.alterahealth.com/altera-digital-health-supporting-nhs-scotland and dbMotion in particular is an Israeli developed technology. I first became interested in these companies at the time of Angus Robertson’s meeting with Israeli deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky Ekstein and a mention of Israel’s “world-leading technology” for NHS Scotland (snort!!).

    Bottom line is that NHS Scotland is allowing the harvest, by American companies, of the intimate data of our most vulnerable teenagers. (What true consent did they give?) And presenting it as an interventional success when it is a complete scandal. Don’t even start about GDPR or EEA data protection, the US CLOUD Act 2018 trumps (sorry) everything.

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