Around 10% of children aged between five and 16 have a mental health condition, and 17,000 children and young people access CAMHS services each year. . A recent report by NHS England found that Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAMHS) could be variable, involve multiple providers and, in the case of inpatient beds in the South West, be insufficient to meet demand forcing young patients to travel out of area.
The SWSCN for Mental Health is leading a project to support the development of CAMHS across the South West which will produce a comprehensive strategy for the commissioning of local and specialised services to ensure the provision of sustainable, high-quality care as near to patients homes as possible.
The work of the SCN has focussed on:
- Mapping CAMHS across the range of agencies in the South West
- Bringing together stakeholders to develop a good quality and comprehensive CAMHS pathway of care
- Facilitating ongoing commissioner dialogue to enable shared problem solving and joint commissioning initiatives going forward.
To read the full report - Commissioning Better CAMHS in the South West click here
