A FIFE MSP has branded waiting times for young mental health patients in Fife as "shocking" and called on the Scottish Government to provide more support.

Figures released by Public Health Scotland show that just under 60 per cent per cent of youngsters in the Kingdom had to wait more than 18 weeks for treatment.

Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Liz Smith wants urgent action to address the backlog.

“The figure for young people in Fife waiting to get help for mental health issues is shocking," she said. "The percentage of patients waiting at the end of June is the highest this has been for more than a year in Fife.

“These figures clearly illustrate that the SNP Government took its eye off the ball on mental health long before the outbreak of COVID-19. They are failing some of the most vulnerable children and young people who require urgent mental health support.

“The COVID-19 lockdown will have made matters a lot worse for young people who have mental health issues in terms of increasing anxiety and concerns. It really isn’t good enough to have 59.7 per cent of children and adolescents in Fife having to wait longer than the 18-week guarantee.

“The Referral to Treatment (RTT) standard was set up by the SNP Government and they should do all they can to make sure it is adhered too. They need to take urgent action to support NHS Fife at this time.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said they acknowledged the "obvious operational difficulties" caused by coronavirus and said they had been working closely with all health boards to ensure Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) continue throughout the pandemic.

"Within the constraints of COVID-19 restrictions, health boards have responded to continue to treat significant numbers of children and young people in other ways, such as video conferencing to deliver care via the NHS Scotland-approved Near Me platform," said the spokesperson.

“In Fife, 290 patients started treatment between April and June, and the waiting list has reduced for both longer waits and waits of less than 18 weeks over the quarter. Even so, we recognise that too many people are waiting an unacceptably long time to start treatment.

“That is why our Programme for Government sets out plans for a comprehensive Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan which will deliver better mental health services ensuring that CAMHS is available, responsive, effective and equitable.

"The Plan will also provide crucial support for recovery from the mental health impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, particularly for young people.”

The Press contacted NHS Fife for a comment but they failed to respond before we went to print.