Mental health experts have said it is “very concerning” that nearly vulnerable 300 children have had to wait longer than a year for their first mental health appointment.

The Irish Daily Mail reports this morning that over 2,000 young people are now on the waiting list for mental health services.

The HSE figures show that 286 of these have been waiting for at least 12 months – with a 105 waiting longer than 18 months.

Dr Shari McDaid, Director of Mental Health Reform, said the waiting period can be very distressing for families.

“I wish I could say I was surprised,” she said.

“Certainly it is very concerning because you only get referred to the child and adolescent mental health services when a GP feels that the child needs more help than they can provide.

“There is a need to bring more urgency and faster implementation to improving the services so that the children are being seen more quickly.”

The HSE figures, released following Dáil questions from Sinn Féin health spokesperson Louise O’Reilly also show that staffing levels in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMS) are only at 57% of their target.

The HSE has insisted that 79% of those referred for mental health services around the country were seen within 12 weeks.

It said every effort is made to ensure that young people with high risk conditions are seen as quickly as possible.