More than 200 children in Wandsworth are now waiting over 30 weeks for mental health treatment, figures from the local NHS trust show, up from just 16 in 2023/24.

The number waiting more than a year has risen from three to 25, according to South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, which runs the borough’s CAMHS service. The figures are in a trust update for the council’s health scrutiny committee, discussed on Wednesday evening.

Waits have lengthened sharply

In April 2024, about nine in ten children started treatment within the NHS 18-week standard. By February 2026, just over half did. The average referral-to-treatment wait was 15.1 weeks in the year to March, up from 14 the year before and double the 7.5 weeks of 2022/23.

The trust says performance “has deteriorated over 2025/26”, blaming demand for ADHD and autism support. Suspected ADHD and autism referrals rose from 326 in 2020/21 to 2,080 in the year to March; all referrals rose by a fifth in a year, to 4,485.

Assessment waits remain long

The average ADHD and autism referral-to-assessment wait was 33.9 weeks in the year to March, down from a 41.5-week peak the year before but more than double the 13.8 weeks of 2022/23. Around 150 children waiting for ADHD medication should be seen by outside provider Haven Medical under a new trust partnership.

The eating disorder service met its national target: every routine referral started treatment within four weeks in the year to March. The trust says cutting long waits “remains a key priority” but gives no date for returning to the 18-week standard. Putney.news reported the figures; the trust’s update is on the agenda for the council’s health scrutiny committee.