3530 children on mental health waiting lists in Morecambe Bay as Lib Dems pledge a mental health professional in every school

3530 children and young people in Morecambe Bay are on mental health waiting lists with average waits of 230 days, House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Meanwhile in North Cumbria, 1540 children are on a mental health waiting list, and on average they are waiting 168 days to see a mental health professional.

To help tackle the crisis in children’s mental health and reduce waiting lists, the Liberal Democrats have announced that their manifesto will include a commitment to a mental health professional in every primary and secondary school. The policy would be funded through a trebling of the Digital Services Tax, which would raise an extra £1.5 billion a year.

This landmark policy announcement by the Lib Dems would help cut mental health waiting lists and give children the support they need to flourish and reach their full potential.

Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat candidate for Westmorland and Lonsdale said: “Children and parents in Westmorland are being left in limbo, forced to suffer shockingly long waits for vital mental health treatment. This Conservative government has brought the NHS to its knees and children and parents have been left abandoned.

“Speaking to local GP surgeries recently I’ve picked up that many of them have stopped even referring young people to CAMHS because they say that those young people who are ill enough to need those services are too ill to wait the length of time they would need to wait in order to be treated.

“By putting a mental health professional in every primary and secondary school, funded by a tax on the social media giants, we can finally begin to cut waiting lists for and give children the best opportunity to succeed with their education.

“This appalling Conservative government has failed Westmorland for too long. They are out of touch, out of ideas and deserve to be kicked out of office.”