Single Point of Access (SPA)
It can be difficult waiting for support after being referred to CAMHS services. We are committed to seeing Children and Young people as soon as possible and try to keep our waiting times to a minimum. However, these can depend on the demand for services and staffing. We are keen to provide open and clear information about wait times for each of the services you are waiting to access. The following detail explains average waiting times, as well as number of people waiting, and likely time you will wait from a referral to initial assessment.
Please note, these are average waits, and you may find yourself seen sooner or slightly longer than estimated. A number of factors can influence how long you may wait to be seen, and cases are ‘triaged’ to decide those at risk and may require sooner appointments.
To support you during your waits, we provided useful tools and information which you can use to support you. These can be found under the resources and while you wait pages.
Single Point of Access (SPA) — these are the assessment services which receive the referrals and are the first point of contact with CAMHS
These wait times reflect the average time from referral to the first meaningful contact (i.e. assessment either by telephone, face to face, or e-consultation). As these times are averages, you may be seen sooner or later than the times given.
*Please note, these wait times incorporate the time waited for Neurodevelopmental screening questionnaires being returned from parents/carers and schools prior to first contact, which impacts on the reported average wait time figures.
