Children and young people are waiting too long to access some mental health services
Mental health services for children and young people in Sussex would benefit from a ‘radical redesign’, an independent review has found.
The review, published this summer, found children and young people are waiting too long for access to emotional health and wellbeing services in Sussex, leaving many feeling ‘disillusioned’.
The review’s findings have been endorsed by health and social care authorities across the county.
These include the Clinical Commissioning Groups and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT), as well as Brighton and Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council.
In a joint statement, a spokesman for these organisations said: “The NHS and local authorities across
Sussex are committed to working together to improve the experience and lives of all local children and young people who are vulnerable and need support.
“Feedback we have received
from those using services, their families, carers and staff has highlighted that the current system is not working as well as it should. This is something that needs to rapidly change
and we commissioned an independently led review of emotional health and wellbeing support for children and young people in Sussex.”
The pandemic meant the formal publication of the report was delayed, but an oversight board has now been set up to take the recommendations forward and identify where improvements ‘can be accelerated’.
The review found that, in general, waiting times for specialist mental health services had increased across Sussex in recent years.
The review reads: “Our overarching finding is that for many children and young people, it is not easy to access the range of services.
“Too many children, young people, their families and carers report that their direct experience is one of frustration, delay and helplessness The pressures on services mean that there can be waits for assessment and receipt of service. This is an issue across all services in the Sussex system.”
The review also highlights a particular problem for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders – such as autism and ADHD – who they say typically face longer waiting times for assessment than others and often experience a ‘challenging journey through the system’.
It also highlighted a ‘worrying lack of information’ about the waiting times for these assessments, with some organisations not holding this data. In response, the review recommends improving the accuracy and availability of health and care data.
Part of the issue, the review says, is due to a lack of knowledge ( among both professionals and the wider public) about the range of support services available, with the current system for accessing help described as confusing.
One way of addressing these concerns, the review says, would be to develop an effective single point of access for those looking for help.
This would make it easier for people to find the right service for them and avoid long waiting times.