YOUTH CARE
Mental Health Services Failing Terminally Ill Children
New research by the Children’s Commissioner for England has revealed that children with severe mental health conditions are being neglected by current services. Here Tomorrow’s Care finds out more.
Over a quarter of children (28%) who were referred for specialist mental health treatment in 2015 did not receive a service, according to new information collected by the Children’s Commissioner for England.
In one trust 75% of referrals were not considered to meet the threshold for treatment.
The study drew on information collected from 3,000 children with life- threatening mental health conditions.
children, 14% were denied specialist
support when they most needed it.”
60 NHS trusts in England were asked to provide information about child and adolescent mental health provision and 48 responded.
Of the 3000 children information was collected about, 14% were found to have been denied specialist support when they most needed it.
Those denied specialist support included children who had
twitter.com/TomorrowsCare “Out of 3000
attempted suicide or serious self-harm, as well as those with psychosis and anorexia nervosa.
Of the 28 trusts that submitted information on waiting times for mental health treatment, four reported average waits of over 100 days and in one, the average wait for children who made it onto the list for treatment was 200 days.
Although children and young people can experience a variety of difficulties in attending mental health appointments, alarmingly a third of trusts said that they would restrict access to services for children who missed appointments.
The study found that children and young people are asking for schools to play an enhanced role in identifying early symptoms of mental ill health, reduced waiting times between referral and appointments with a specialist and for better support whilst on the waiting list.
Other requests included the provision of services that are closer to their home and on neutral territory such as in a park, as well as texts and phone calls rather than letters to encourage young people to attend first appointments.
The reduction of stigma surrounding mental health and the difficlty of struggling with a variety of conditions also surfaced in the survey.
Drop-in services for young people where they can talk about things that worry them was also mentioned.
“Behind the stats are
countless stories of children and young people in
desperate circumstances
not getting the vital support they need.”
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England said: “Children and young people consistently tell me that they need better mental health support but the information we have received paints a picture of provision that is patchy, difficult to access and unresponsive.
“Behind the stats are countless stories of children and young people in desperate circumstances not getting the vital support they need.
“I’ve heard from far too many children who have been denied access to support or struck off the list because they missed appointments. I’ve heard from others whose GPs could not manage their condition and who had to wait months to see a specialist whilst struggling with their conditions.”
To find out more about the study click here.
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