MORE than 740 children in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area have waited more than 90 days for mental health treatment, figures have revealed.

Nationally, more than 5,000 youngsters waited longer than the Scottish Government target in 2019.

The figures were released by the Information Services Division as mental health charity SAMH called for the Scottish Government to review their psychological therapy provision.

In the last three months of 2019, only 66.4 per cent of children referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) were seen within 18 weeks, down from the 72.8 per cent during the same months in 2018.

At the end of 2019, 1,410 youngsters nationally who had missed the 90 days target were still waiting to be seen with 3,749 additional young people on the CAMHS waiting list across Scotland.

Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton MSP, condemned the figures.

She said: "Children and young people in Dumbarton constituency are being neglected and their health is in decline due to the SNP’s mismanagement of our NHS with waiting times getting longer and delayed discharge rates rising.

"It is utterly unacceptable that these young people are having to pay the price for Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s incompetence.

“Rates of suicide and poor mental health amongst young people are on the rise in Scotland and organisations such as NSPCC are shouldering the burden of vastly increased demand."

In response, Clare Haughey, mental health minister, said: “To shorten waits for treatment, we are making significant changes to meet increasing demand and to ensure everyone gets the right treatment, at the right time and in the right place.

“Since 2007, CAMHS staffing has increased by 76 per cent, and in the past year, we have seen an increase of 1.3 per cent – the majority of which was in psychology staff – while we continue to create new posts in this area.

“We are also strengthening the support available in communities and schools with mental health first aid training for local authorities, ensuring every secondary school has access to a counselling service by September 2020 and training 250 additional school nurses over the next three years, with 50 already in place this year.”