Promoting children and young people's (CYP) mental health is a priority area for the RCPCH. We know that half of all mental health problems have been established by the age of 14 and 75% by age 24 years.
Commissioning effective children's and transitions services should lead to reduced numbers of young people with untreated problems and poor outcomes. This should, in turn, lead to reduced morbidity, thus reducing downstream demand on generic services.
Our top three priorities
- All children and young people with mental and emotional health needs should have timely and appropriate access to evidence based services and treatment.
- Mental health services should be considered an integral part of children's healthcare in both acute and community settings.
- A system where children and young people are at the centre, and their interests are put above competing cultures, systems and processes of the organisations involved in their care.
What are the specific challenges facing the NHS?
|
Problem |
Our suggestion |
|---|---|
|
Funding |
Independent research into the cost of addressing CYP mental health needs in a comprehensive way, as well as the cost of not addressing them |
|
Lack of a systems approach to CYP mental health |
Adoption of local offers for mental health as suggested by Care Quality Commission (CQC) and modelled on SEN (special educational needs) system, underpinned by an integrated model of care up to the age of 25 |
|
Lack of attention to the whole child mental health workforce |
Review by Health Education England of the training needs of the child workforce and implementation of appropriate educational programmes |
You can download our full submission below.