Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:51 pm on 13 December 2017.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 2:51, 13 December 2017

We've been very clear in investing the additional resource that was for CAMHS. We've got our broader mental health ring fence, and, actually, we know that we spend more than the ring fence both in mental health and in CAMHS services. Part of the challenge is about seeing CAMHS as part of a whole system, because we know that part of the challenge has been that there are more people being referred in, while we still have that significant challenge of inappropriate referral. So, as well as getting the investment right in CAMHS, which I believe we have done, we've also got the investment in other services where people do have very real health and care support needs. I'm confident that we've made the right investment and I'm confident that that money is being spent on CAMHS as it's intended, and I fully expect that we'll report back on improvement. If not, I will face your questions, and others, on why significant improvement has not been made and sustained.