Issue - meetings

Purpose: To present the results of the Healthwatch survey on CAMHS in West Berkshire.

[The Chairman agreed to bring this item forward on the agenda.]

Michelle Paice and Lesley Wyman presented the Healthwatch West Berkshire Report on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) (Agenda Item 13).

The process had started in July 2019 with a focus group to capture initial feedback. Due to the Covid pandemic, Healthwatch was unable to hold further focus groups, so feedback was sought via an online survey for families / carers of service users. Questions were asked around:

·         Waiting times for a diagnosis / to be seen for any other reasons

·         The difference that CAMHS had made

·         Whether earlier access to CAMHS would have made a difference

·         The quality of information provided upon discharge

·         Information about where to get help

The survey attracted 128 responses. This was considered to be a good response, since there had been 1,500 referrals across Berkshire West in 2021. Data was also taken from the Children’s Commissioner report on the state of mental health services. This showed that there had been a very large increase in referrals between 2017/18 and 2019/20, but access to treatment increased at a slower rate. This emphasised that there was a national issue for CAMHS. While some increase in demand was attributable to the pandemic, there was a risk that the increase in demand would continue.

The main issue to come out of the survey was the long waiting times - 93% of respondents had children of school age and of these 9% indicated that they had to wait between three and five years for a referral to CAMHS. Around half of respondents had to wait between one and three years for a diagnosis or access to CAMHS for any reason. Long waits had negative consequences for the children and for other family members. Three quarters of respondents felt that earlier access to CAMHS could have made a difference to their child. Overall, the service was not felt to be making the difference that parents / guardians had hoped for. Respondents also felt that they were not getting good enough information, especially upon discharge, and more information was sought around alternative services or support.

The recommendations were linked to the priorities in the 2019 Local Transformation Plan (LTP), which had been updated in September 2021, and it was  recommended that the LTP aims and objectives be fully implemented. Recommendations related to: reduced waiting times; better support and communication at all stages from referral through diagnosis, treatment and discharge; improvements to staffing to deal with the increase in referrals; and measures related to prevention / early intervention. It was suggested that improvements were required across the whole system, to create a comprehensive approach to address mental health and wellbeing problems for children and young people. While the LTP had excellent medium and short-term goals, Healthwatch West Berkshire called on all Board Members to consider what could be done in the short-term to improve the situation, and to consider the impacts of wider determinants on mental health and wellbeing. Another  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64