Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI GHC-20072026-812034
Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.
You asked:
1. Waiting time from date of referral to assessment: Please provide the mean (average) time, as well as the range (minimum and maximum time) for this period.
Our response:
As of August 2026, the available data for children and young people waiting for first contact is as follows:
Number of children and young people waiting for first contact: 4,152. Please note that this figure includes young people on the CAAAS referral screening waiting list and the CAAAS medication waiting list.
Average wait in weeks – 88 weeks
Maximum wait in weeks – 225 weeks
Minimum wait in weeks – 0.14 weeks
You asked:
2. Waiting time from date of triage to assessment: Please provide the mean (average) time, as well as the range (minimum and maximum time) for this period.
Our response:
The triage date is recorded in each child’s clinical notes and is not held in a reportable field on a central database. To provide the mean, minimum and maximum waiting times from triage to assessment, the Trust would need to manually review individual clinical records and collate the information. This would exceed the appropriate cost limit under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Trust is therefore not required to provide this information.
You asked:
3. The reasoning and criteria used for prioritising for assessment children added to the waiting list after those who are already on it
Our response:
CAAAS generally assesses children in date order according to when they joined the relevant waiting list. Children are not prioritised ahead of others on the ADHD or Autism waiting lists except where a young person is known to Prevent and a Prevent officer has contacted CAAAS to request prioritisation.
CAAAS triages referrals at the point of referral. If an assessment is indicated, a decision is made about the appropriate clinical assessment pathway. If further information is later added to the referral, the referral may be re-triaged and the clinical assessment pathway may change. Waiting times vary between clinical pathways, which means some children may be seen sooner than others depending on the pathway they are allocated to.
You asked:
4. The reasoning for not prioritising children based solely on the date they joined the waiting list (if applicable).
Our response:
Not applicable. CAAAS does prioritise children based on the date they joined the relevant waiting list, subject to the exception and pathway considerations explained above.
You asked:
5. Any internal policy documents or guidance notes that outline the criteria for determining the order in which children are assessed.
Our response:
CAAAS prioritisation is based on the date children join the relevant waiting list, subject to the exception and pathway considerations explained above. The Trust does not hold any internal policy documents or guidance notes setting out any additional criteria for determining the order in which children are assessed.
Next steps:
Should you have any queries in relation to our response, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you are unhappy with the response you have received in relation to your request and wish to ask us to review our response, you should write to:
Louise Moss
Head of Legal Services / Associate Director of Corporate Governance
c/o Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester Business Park
Brockworth, GL3 4AW
E-mail: louise.moss@ghc.nhs.uk
If you are not content with the outcome of any review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for further advice/guidance. Generally, the ICO will not consider your case unless you have exhausted your enquiries with the Trust which should include considering the use of the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.