Liberal Democrat County Councillors in Surrey have expressed their concerns over the long waiting times faced by children and young people with mental health problems in the County.

We are disappointed that, for many children with mental health problems, waiting times for assessment can be over 160 working days (this includes children in care) and that for treatment, assuming some is deemed necessary, the wait can be between 10 and 75 working days.

This is an unacceptable state of affairs which is not going to be resolved by contract managers shouting at the providers – the fact is demand for these services is going through the roof and the services are underfunded.

We believe that children’s mental health is the greatest public health crisis nationally. A child who is self-harming or suicidal will be marked by such trauma for life unless they get urgent support. Yet in Surrey they can’t always get the support they need in a timely manner and that is simply not good enough for our children.