Agenda item

Purpose: To provide an update on the ICP priority around mental health and wellbeing services for children and young people.

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

Manu Cuccureddu presented the update on the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) priority around mental health and wellbeing services for children and young people (Agenda Item 11).

Key points from the presentation were as follows:

·         The updated Local Transformation Plan (LTP) was published in September 2021 – this was a statutory requirement.

·         It built on the 2019 plan and provided an update on what had been achieved, as well as information on local needs and trends.

·         It included the voice of children / young people and their families / carers.

·         It articulated the further work and resources that were needed.

·         Key achievements included:

o   Establishment of three mental health support teams, with further teams to be set up this year, with all pupils to be covered by 2023.

o   Rapid response service was now a  seven day offer to 8pm, with plans to extend this further.

o   Improved data flow to the national system, which would help with understanding needs.

o   Digitised the ‘Little Blue Book of Sunshine’ and distributed in paper form to all pupils in Berkshire West.

o   Increased resources for the eating disorder service.

o   Launched the ASD / ADHD advice and guidance service for families of undiagnosed children.

·         There had been a review of all services, which had informed future priorities – the findings of this review matched those of the Healthwatch report.

·         The ambition was for the promotion of resilience and good mental health and wellbeing to be a priority across all partners and for the right health to be provided when and where needed, with the goal of reducing the number of young people whose needs escalated to crisis.

·         There were nine transformation priorities, including:

o   Building a formal delivery partnership arrangement, with a new website

o   Creating a single access and decision making arrangement

o   Tackling waiting times for specialist and core CAMHS

o   Meeting eating disorder waiting times for response to referrals, with additional resources and training

o   A community home treatment offer with 24/7 access for crisis cases

o   Mobilise two further Mental Health Support Teams by October 2022.

o   Meeting the Covid-19 surge demand as it arises

o   Addressing gaps in access and service offer due to inequalities (i.e. for children and young people with learning disabilities, those from ethnic minorities and those from LGBTQ+ communities)

o   Strengthening the adolescent to young adulthood offer (16-25), with a focus on trans-gender people and those moving from CAMHS to adult mental health services.

The Chairman noted that many of the issues raised were picked up in the Health and Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan and stressed the need to avoid duplication of effort.

Councillor Martha Vickers asked if people with eating disorders were still being referred to the specialist centre in Henley-Upon-Thames. Niki Cartwright explained that there was a home treatment service and offered to provide further information on the various elements.

ACTION: Niki Cartwright to provide information on the various components of the eating disorder service.

Councillor Vickers also asked for more detail on the Little Blue Book of Sunshine. Manu Cuccureddu explained that the Little Blue Book of Sunshine had been co-produced with young people and offered hope to readers, describing mental health issues and providing practical advice using language and imagery that was appropriate for young people.