Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:52 pm on 22 June 2021.
There is, of course, pressure on specialist CAMHS services during the pandemic, but this isn't a new problem. Figures that have just been published demonstrate that in August 2019 almost half of those that received a referral for specialist CAMHS services were waiting over four weeks. I think in Cardiff and Vale it was 85 per cent. But where is the response to that? We see an increase and progress in the vaccination process, as a result of the delta variant. We see catch-up programmes being introduced in terms of education, but when it comes to mental health problems, serious problems, I don't see the same seriousness in the response. Now, as the health Minister in 2015, you said that it was important that the right people received treatment at the right time, but why, when it comes to mental health amongst young people, isn't that happening, even now, six years later?