Mental health services ‘failing the young’
Only three in 10 getting NHS treatment they need
CHILDREN AND young people are being “failed” by the NHS over mental health, MPs have warned, with poor provision and “unacceptably” long waiting lists for treatment.
Recruitment work is progressing too slowly, a report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found, with a key roadblock being the Government’s “inability” to increase the number of mental health nurses.
Most young people with a mental health condition do not get the treatment they need, the committee has warned, pointing to research that found just three in 10 with a diagnosable condition were treated by the NHS in 2017/18. And while the Government has committed to providing a “parity of esteem” between mental and physical health services, MPs argue it is unclear what this actually means in practice.
“Children and young people with mental health conditions are being failed by the NHS. Provision is far below required levels and many people who do get help face long waits for treatment,” said chair of the committee Meg Hiller MP.
“This can be devastating for people’s life chances; their physical health, education and work prospects. The NHS must accelerate efforts to ensure it has the right staff with the right skills in the right places. But there is a broader role for Government in better supporting children and young people.”
The Government should step up action to increase staffing numbers and develop skills, the PAC has said, while planning must improve, with a particular focus on prevention and early intervention. And while there is a welcome focus for improvements, there are still “significant” gaps in data to monitor progress.
Recent figures have underlined the scale of the task faced, with one in eight children aged between five and 19 suffering from poor mental health. That figure for Yorkshire is even high-
er, with one in seven having a diagnosable disorder.
Helen Kemp, chief executive of Leeds Mind, said providers are trying their best with limited resources. “Waiting lists are too long,” she said. “Yet 50 per cent of mental health problems are established by the age of 14. If we work with children, they may become healthy adults.”
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, welcomed the report: “The NHS 10year plan will improve access to CAMHS for more children, but until the Government can guarantee that all children will get the specialist help they need, every year thousands of children will still miss out on treatment.
“The Government must be more ambitious about the resources and reforms needed to ensure every child who needs support receives it, when they need it.
“That will require policies like an NHS-funded counsellor in every school to identify and tackle problems early, and closer parity between what is spent on adult and child mental health services.”