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<p>Waiting times are not currently collected centrally, however the Government accepts
there is variation in waiting times and is committed to improving access and is introducing
the first ever waiting time standards for mental health services.</p><br /><p>These
include an access and waiting time standard for Children and Young People with an
Eating Disorder. This states that National Institute of Health and Care Excellence
concordant treatment should commence within a maximum of four weeks from first contact
with a designated healthcare professional for routine cases and within one week for
urgent cases. Data collected in 2016 will help inform incremental percentage increases
in compliance with the standard, with the aim of 95% of patients being treated within
the standard’s timescale by 2020.</p><br /><p>We have also introduced an access and
waiting times standard on Early Intervention in Psychosis announced in <em>Mental
health services: achieving better access by 2020</em> which came into force in April
2015. Whilst focused on all ages, most individuals experiencing a first episode of
psychosis are in the 16-25 age group.</p><br /><p>The setting of a blanket access
and waiting time standard for children and young people’s mental health services is
not feasible due to the wide range of conditions, services and care pathways this
covers. However, NHS England will be working with partner organisations to lead work
on the development of further access and waiting time standards for children’s mental
health as part of the transformation programme on children and young people’s mental
health.</p><br /><p>At a local level, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have worked
with local partners to produce Local Transformation Plans for children and young people’s
mental health and wellbeing that will set out how they will improve support for children
and young people in line with the vision in Future in mind. In addition, CCGs have
legal duty to consider the need to reduce inequalities in access to, and outcomes
from healthcare services, and we would expect commissioners to have due regard to
waiting times as part of this.</p><br /><p>The new Mental Health Services Dataset
will begin from January 2016, to provide data for both adults and children on outcomes,
length of treatment, the source of referral, location of appointment and demographic
information.</p>
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