Waiting Time for New Case Referrals from Schools to Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health Teams

Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the current waiting time for new case referrals from schools to Response, Early intervention and Assessment in Community mental Health (REACH) teams; (b) whether there are future plans to expand REACH to support schools better; and (c) whether REACH services are also available to full-time madrasahs and, if so, how many of such referrals have been received in the past five years.

The Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health (REACH) teams collaborate closely with schools, including madrasahs, to provide interventions for students with mental health needs.

Waiting times for referrals to REACH vary depending on the severity of the mental health need. In 2022, the median wait time for a student to be referred to REACH for a mental health assessment was within 24 hours for urgent cases, and between 17 and 31 days for less severe cases. The REACH teams received an average of about 10 referrals from madrasahs per year over the last three years.

The Ministry of Health works closely with the public healthcare clusters to review manpower needs and ensure adequate resourcing for REACH teams to support students’ mental health needs.