Waiting times in Oxfordshire compared with the rest of England
Trying to gain some insight into the extent to which the targets are reportedly being met is a challenge for a non-specialist. I’ve taken the information in the table below from reports about children’s mental health services published each year since 2020 by the Children’s Commissioner for England. The waiting times here are for conditions described as ‘Other condition' in the table on the previous page (i.e. not psychosis or an eating disorder). The data reported for Oxfordshire have been disappointing since the Children’s Commissioner started to publish their reports and I find the consistent underspend troubling.
Amount spent on CYPMH per child in the local population
Median waiting times from referral to start of treatment (3)
2018-19
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
0.92%
0.97%
1.0%
0.99%
0.82%
0.80%
0.86%
0.70%
84 days
74 days
52 days
57 days
£46
£47
£51
£50
53 days
43 days
32 days
40 days
£59
£66
£73
£77
England average
Oxfordshire
England average
Oxfordshire
England average
Oxfordshire
During 2022, the reporting changed following a structural re-organisation in the NHS (introducing Integrated Care Boards). Regional expenditure comparisons are now by ICB, with the NHS in Oxfordshire being grouped in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB). The expenditure data are now shown as ranges from highest to lowest spend.
% of total ICB expenditure spent on CYPMH
Amount spent on CYPMH per child referred
Median waiting times from referral to start of treatment (3)
England range
ICB BOB
England range
ICB BOB
England average
ICB BOB
2022-23
1.68 - 0.72%
1.72 - 0.77%
0.72%
0.84%
63 days*
64 days
£573
£628
35 days
43 days
£2,236 - £573
£2,513 - £548
Year
(April-
March)
% of CCG(1) budget spent on CYPMH (2)
2023-24
-
CCG = Clinical Commissioning Group
-
CYPMH= Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health
-
The counting ends when the child has had 2 contacts with CAMHS (e.g. assessment plus first contact with case worker)
* I haven't been able to find the breakdown between the 3 counties for 2023-24, but for 202-23, when Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West had the lowest spend per child in England (on children's mental health), the waiting times for the 3 county-level trusts in that ICB were:
Updated 9th June 2025
Median wait in days for a referral to CAMHS 2022/23
Buckinghamshire
55
Oxfordshire
82
Berkshire West
59
Source: Children's Commissioner's report on Children's mental health 2022-23, March 2024 (Annex A1)