NHS trust leaders have expressed their concern about how long children and young people are currently waiting for care, reporting large increases in demand for mental health services.
A new survey from NHS Providers has found that 100 per cent of mental health trust leaders said that the demand their trust/local systems is experiencing for CYP services is significantly (80 per cent) or moderately (20 per cent) increasing compared to six months ago.
The data shows that 85 per cent of trust leaders said they could not meet demand for CYP eating disorder services – the highest result across all services, whilst two thirds of trusts leaders said they are not able to meet demand for community CAMHS (66 per cent) and inpatient CAMHS services (65 per cent).
Trust leaders noted the top three reasons why pressures are increasing: children's symptoms becoming more severe and complex, meaning they take longer to address; additional demand due to the pandemic; and a lack of suitable social care provision.
Of great concern, 84 per cent of trust leaders said the amount of time children and young people are currently having to wait to access treatment for services is significantly (29 per cent) or moderately (59 per cent) increasing compared to waiting times six months ago.
As a result, 78 per cent of trust leaders said they are extremely (47 per cent) or moderately (31 per cent) concerned about their trust/local system(s) ability to meet the level of anticipated demand within the next 12-18 months for mental health care amongst children and young people.
Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: "Covid-19 has clearly had a big impact on children's lives and their mental health. As the NHS focuses on recovery from the pandemic, we must recognise the extent of its impact on mental health services and ensure they also get the focus and attention they need.
"Despite welcome support and improved funding for some mental health services over recent years, the pandemic has brought into sharp focus the impact of rising demand and chronic underinvestment in beds, workforce and capital. We are now into a time of reckoning.
"Trusts are doing all they can to reduce waiting times, intervene as early as possible and to prevent mental ill health in the first place. These findings provide further powerful evidence that in addressing the NHS' backlog of care and the impact of Covid-19, mental health services – including those for children and young people – must be an absolute priority. It is vital that mental health trusts are supported to meet the demand they anticipate in the coming months for children and young people.
"They need adequate capital funding to ensure a safe therapeutic environment, workforce investment so we have enough staff with the right skills to treat children and young people, a commitment to expand services in the community to avoid inpatient admissions where possible, and a quick expansion in the bed base where it's needed to bring care closer to home. It is also important too that as the government considers its plans for social care reform, the needs of children and young people are not overlooked."
