Children and Young People’s Mental Health Crisis
The Children and Young Peoples Mental Health Crisis Programme supports the delivery of the core clinical programmes within the Long Term Plan and the Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 - 2023/24 (the Implementation Plan) by connecting commissioners, providers, professionals, patients and the public across pathways of care with the aim of improving health outcomes. This is achieved by sharing best practice and innovation, assessing and benchmarking quality and outcomes and driving improvement where required, through targeted support.
What We Are Trying To Achieve
The Yorkshire and the Humber Clinical Network Crisis programme for Children and Young People is Jenna Wallhead, Quality Improvement Manager.
The Clinical Network aims to support local partners to achieve the priorities set out within the NHS Long Term Plan.This includes expanding timely and age-appropriate access to mental health crisis and intensive home treatment services, resulting in 100% coverage of 24/7 mental health crisis care provision for Children and Young People by 2023/24.
Why It’s Important
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, experts are warning of an increase in mental ill health. Pre-pandemic, around one in eight children and young people experienced mental health difficulties severe enough to warrant specialist support. More recent estimates suggest that this has increased to one in six (NHS Digital – see Closing the Gap in Child and Youth Mental Health Support – Insights from the North West 2021)
Improving the experience and outcomes of children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis is a national, local and Clinical Network priority.
What We Have Achieved In The Last 6 Months
- Identified opportunities for collaboration and improvement support by asking services about their current service offer (Including safe spaces, Intensive Home Treatment (IHT), telephone helplines, S136 provision) through a baseline mapping exercise. An initial forum meeting was held in May 2021 with system partners across Yorkshire and the Humber to consider the outcomes and agree next steps.
- Partners highlighted the need for shared learning events, therefore, we established ‘Crisis Masterclasses’ to showcase good practice from across the country. Most recently we engaged professionals to share learning on crisis alternatives to Accident and Emergency Departments, for example Safe Zones/Spaces’, Rapid Response Teams and innovations and training around self harm.
- We continue to work closely with the Regional and National Teams within NHS England to escalate any concerns raised by our ICSs and/or Commissioner and Providers.
- Supported our local Integrated Care System (ICS) colleagues with reviews of their current service provision e.g. S136 Suites.
- Provided a response to the ‘Mental Health Clinically Led Review of Standards’ (including Urgent and Emergency Care) through our Clinical Managers Community of Practice led by our Children and Young People’s Clinical Lead, Dr Girish Vaidya.
- Liaised with Clinical Networks, Commissioners and Providers across the country to learn from good practice models and interventions.
Meetings and Events
Yorkshire and the Humber Clinical Network, Children and Young People’s Crisis Masterclasses – shared learning events on topics identified by professionals. Professionals – dates and further details can be found on our Future NHS page.
What We Plan To Do In The Next 6 Months:
- Recruit a Clinical Associate for Children and Young People’s crisis to ensure subject matter expertise is at the heart of programme
- Continue to bring professionals together to share learning from across the country to support our local services to improve their crisis service provision via our ‘Masterclass’ approach.
- Provide further training opportunities in partnership with Harmless, to paediatric nursing staff (A&E, paediatric wards), support workers and educational professionals to raise awareness of self harm in children and young people
- Provide tailored support to ICSs aligned to national deliverables, undertaking further mapping and pathway reviews where helpful
- Work closely with our colleagues in the Regional Clinical Delivery Team and National Crisis Team to provide aligned support to ICSs
Local Services
In response to the COVID – 19 pandemic, all areas were required to establish 24/7 helplines to provide mental health support. Urgent Mental Health helplines can be found here
Helpful Resources and Links
- Childline – if you are under 19 you can also call 0800 1111
- Mind - strategies to help you cope during a crisis
- NHS Where to Get Urgent Help for Mental Health
- Papyrus (Prevention on Young Suicide) – advice and support for young people who feel like they
- Samaritans call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours
- Text “SHOUT” to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line