Children in Darlington are having to wait up to three years for mental health help, an MP has told Parliament. 

Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington, spoke about the "unacceptable" waits children in the region are facing to get access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), a service run by the NHS. 

Kids with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties can be waitlisted for treatment for up to three years, and Mr Gibson said he was receiving weekly correspondence from exasperated parents "every single week". 

The Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mourdant MP responded to Peter Gibson MP in shock at these statistics, promising to write to the Health Secretary to see what can be done to reduce these waiting times for people in Darlington. 

Speaking in the House of Commons Peter Gibson MP said "Every single week since I receive correspondence from and meet parents who are simply exasperated with the wait they are facing for CAMHS assessments for their children.

"In order for children to be educated properly and looked after in the best way possible, it is paramount that children receive their assessments as soon as possible and families do not face the totally unacceptable waits of up to 3 years which many in Darlington do.”

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Penny Mordaunt said: "The three year wait is a truly shocking statistic and should not be the situation that his constituents find themselves in.

"We are investing an extra 2.3 billion a year to support 2 million people including 345,00 children and young people.

"The situation in Darlington sounds very acute and I will write to the Health Secretary this afternoon to ensure every child and young person gets the support they need.”