Our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is implementing a significant change to its referral criteria, extending support to all young people up to their 18th birthday, effective Monday 28 October.
This important update removes previous age restrictions that limited access to those under 16, or 16-17-year-olds who were either still in school, in care, or residents of Cambuslang and Rutherglen.
Key changes:
- All young people up to 18th birthday now eligible
- Simplified referral process for healthcare professionals
- Aligns with national CAMHS specification
Dr Lisa Sigouin, CAMHS Clinical Director at University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, explains: “This standardisation of our age criteria marks a significant step forward in providing equitable mental health care for young people across Lanarkshire.
“By extending our service to all young people under 18, we’re ensuring more consistent, person-centred care for those who need it most.
“Mental health is fundamental to overall wellbeing. This development streamlines access to vital support services and demonstrates our commitment to transforming youth mental health care in Lanarkshire.
“This change means it will now be simpler for colleagues to refer young people to our service. It also puts us in line with the CAMHS national specification. This is a really promising development for the service and is thanks to the hard work and dedication of our teams.”
The extension of referral criteria follows recent service improvements, including the expansion of unscheduled CAMHS services, which now operates from 9am to 8pm, Monday through Friday.
