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"Vital" support is "not getting to those who need it fast enough" as children and young people face a six-month wait for autism assessments and an eight-month wait for ADHD assessments, an Assistant Minister has admitted following a challenge from a young islander.
Speaking to the Jersey Youth Parliament earlier this week, Assistant Children’s and Education Minister Louise Doublet said the increase in waiting times in recent years was due to "massive numbers of children who need referrals".
Between January and August 2023, 568 children had been referred to neurodevelopmental assessments – which encompass autism and ADHD. Of these, 384 referrals were for ADHD and 184 were for autism.
CYPES (Children, Young People, Education and Skills) later confirmed that in Q1 of this year, ADHD waiting times were 34 weeks (just under eight months) and autism waiting times were 27 weeks (just over six months). In Q2, this figure was 33 weeks for ADHD and 28 weeks for autism.
The number of children and young people referred for a neurodevelopmental assessment has seen a sharp rise in the past four years.
Pictured: Assistant Children’s and Education Minister Louise Doublet said the increase in waiting times was due to "massive numbers of children who need referrals".
In 2020, Deputy Doublet said, there were 131 referrals (51 for ADHD and 80 for autism).
This number of children referred to neurodevelopmental assessments almost tripled in 2021, with 332 referrals (192 for ADHD and 140 for autism).
In 2022, this figure had doubled again, with a total of 617 referrals – making up 63% of all new CAMHS referrals last year.
A new Neurodevelopmental Service launched in the spring has seen services, courses and multidisciplinary teams being developed along with relationships with schools and other agencies.
At the helm is Toni Cooper, a former team leader at Jersey Youth Service.
After her son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was eight, Toni founded founded ‘We Believe You Belong’ – a support service for parents and carers of children with the disorder.
Pictured: Toni Cooper, Service Manager for the Neurodevelopmental Service.
Toni spoke to Express in August about the increasing recognition of neurodiversity.
She said: “The help was there before but I don’t think people were necessarily aware of the processes you go down. There is a lot more understanding about autism, I think, than there is in other areas. It is about making sure we grow that education and being able to detect if we think something is going on with a child.
“Before, people were put into boxes; now we are more accepting of neurodiversity. We have recognised that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’. No one has the same brain in the same way that no one has the same colour eyes."
She added: “I know exactly how challenging it can be to get the support you need after a diagnosis: neurodiversity is complex, and each child and young person needs tailored support. I am enjoying combining my personal and professional experience to support other families.”
But speaking at the Youth Parliament's sitting on Monday, one young islander said she was facing at least a nine-month wait for an autism assessment.
"It can take ages for assessments for disabilities such as autism or ADHD," she said.
"In my personal experience, I was told around April this year that I would have to wait until next January at a minimum for my autism assessment.
"One of my friends also had to wait two years for theirs."
Pictured: The Jersey Youth Parliament allows islanders aged between 12 and 18 to campaign on issues which affect them, and was originally set up in response to the findings of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry.
She added: "These wait times are getting atrocious. There are so many young islanders like myself who are still on this ever-growing wait list for autism and ADHD assessments.
"The support provided by these appointments can sometimes be vital and it is not getting to those who need it fast enough."
Children's Minister Deputy Inna Gardiner said that "this significant increase in demand is unprecedented, and I know that the CAMHS team have continued to work hard to meet it".
She explained: "This includes developing a specific Neurodevelopmental Service to provide support to children, young people and their families before and after their assessment.
"CAMHS staff have been moved into this pathway to increase the support, and more staff are being trained to complete assessments."
The Children's Minister added that the Government is "sourcing specialist staffing to provide more assessments", and "already work with two external suppliers to provide additional assessments to manage waiting lists".
Pictured: Children's and Education Minister, Deputy Inna Gardiner described the increase in demand as "unprecedented".
Deputy Gardiner continued: "CAMHS are also planning to bring in a Locum doctor who will focus solely on completing ADHD assessments. This will be a full-time post, on a temporary basis.
"We remain committed to making sure that children and their families can access the appropriate support as quickly as possible, and I would like to thank all those team members who are working hard in this area.”
In 2021, Ministers were forced to confront the “traumatising” reality of Jersey’s mental health services for children, as two young people shared personal stories in the States Assembly.
Speaking to the Children and Education Scrutiny Panel on Thursday, Dr Darren Bowring, Head of Children's Health and Wellbeing and CAMHS, added that improvements to the service have included adding feedback forms for children and parents.
Work is also going on to extend the service's opening hours, with plans to open from 08:00 to 20:00, 7 days a week.
Dr Bowring said the next step was a consultation with permanent staff, though there was "no indication from staff that there will be an issue" - adding that there were even draft rotas ready to go.
Despite the potential for longer opening hours at CAMHS, he added that the hospital pharmacy's recently shortened opening hours were a problem, as the pharmacy is now closed on weekends.
There has been no progress on the development of a shared prescribing scheme between GPs and CAMHS clinicians, he added, leading to a situation where "psychiatrists are spending a significant time writing prescriptions."
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