Canadian WaitTime Alliance Sets Goals for Psychiatric Access

OPEN MINDS On-Line News Canadians in need of psychiatric emergency care should have to wait no longer than 24 hours for access to a psychiatrist following a referral by a family physician; those in need of urgent psychiatric care should wait no longer than 14 days following a referral. Canadians needing to access their family physicians for a referral for acute mental health concerns should wait no more than 24 hours. In 2001, the median wait-time for non-emergency psychiatric treatment was 7.5 weeks. Anecdotal reports suggest that wait-times for child and youth psychiatric consultation range . . .