The number of Kingston children and young people waiting for community support for mild to moderate mental health problems has fallen by around 40 per cent since last November, an NHS trust has said.
South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust has been working on slashing waiting lists, in the face of spiralling demand, after a review into children and young people's mental health services.
The review was commissioned by the NHS South West London Integrated Care Board (ICB) in December 2023, in response to concerns about difficulties accessing support, long waits and increasing demand for ADHD and autism assessments.
Findings and single-provider recommendation
Among the review's findings, published in March 2024, was a recommendation to move to a single provider for Kingston and Richmond Tier 2 and 3 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Tier 2 covers support for those with mild to moderate mental health difficulties, while Tier 3 is for severe, complex or persistent mental health problems.
Dr Rachel Tucker, the trust's head of psychology and psychotherapy for CAMHS and eating disorders, said the trust had made progress in tackling waiting lists since taking over assessments for autism and ADHD and Tier 2 CAMHS services on November 1, 2025. She updated Kingston's health and wellbeing board on progress made since the review on October 22.
Progress and rising demand
Dr Tucker said the list of people waiting for Tier 2 CAMHS support in Kingston had fallen by around 40 per cent since the transfer, with 145 people still waiting for treatment. At the same time, she said, demand had increased from around 15 monthly referrals in November 2025 to roughly 33 in July this year.
She told the meeting average wait times for Tier 2 CAMHS support in Kingston and Richmond were under a year. Dr Tucker also said nearly 200 of the 547 assessments for ADHD or autism that were outstanding in Kingston on November 1 had been completed, with the trust bringing in a third-party provider to help deal with the backlog.
She added: "The successful transfer of [Tier 2] services has really established a foundation for a more integrated model of care across Kingston and Richmond."
Impact and next steps
David Still, deputy CEO of Kingston Carers Network, said the increase in referrals was "extraordinary". Mr Still said: "There are issues to do with young people trying to get into employment post Covid, increased depression, we have issues to do with eating disorders."
Dr Tucker said the trust was working with the ICB to build on its progress and improve collaboration across mental health, social care and voluntary services.
