Children’s mental health crisis worsening

New figures obtained by Spurgeons Children’s Charity show that the children’s mental health crisis in England is worsening, with 60 per cent denied mental health treatment - despite government pledges to address it.

Data from 32 NHS trusts showed that around 60 per cent of under-18s who are referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) by their GP are not receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, self-harm admissions to A&E departments for young people have increased for the seventh year in a row. The figures also highlighted a gender split, with around 77 per cent of A&E or hospital admissions for self-harm made by girls in the period 2010 to 2016.

In response Spurgeons has developed an innovative programme for young people who self-harm and their families. Spurgeons’ Family Intervention for Self Harm therapeutic programme (FISH) will help those young people who do not have formal mental health diagnosis and therefore do not quality for specialist mental health support services such as CAMHS.

Funded by a Big Lottery Fund Reaching Communities Grant, and piloted in Birmingham, FISH will save the NHS money and potentially lives.

The project could also save costs in the long-term by reducing the likelihood of a young person developing adult mental health problems.

Currently, there are no structured self-harm interventions for children and young people within a family setting. This is despite evidence that when families are involved in interventions for children and young people, professionals get better results.

Spurgeons Children’s Charity is calling on commissioners in England and Wales to look at alternative solutions to the adolescent mental health crisis in this budget—cut environment.

Jag Basra, assistant psychologist and lead of FISH, said: “It has become increasingly apparent that many young people that self-harm do not have a diagnosed specific mental health condition, leaving this particular group without some form of support provision.

“The facts are harrowing. At least four young people in every secondary school class are now self-harming. Within the last decade we’ve seen a considerable rise in the range of mental health issues impacting young people, in part due to social media pressures and the ongoing stigma towards speaking about our mental health.

“Ultimately the long term implications of self-harm are frightening, and in some cases fatal, and it is for this reason that addressing self harm needs to be a major public health priority.

“Pressures on the NHS results in limited resources to provide young people and families with targeted support for self harm. By establishing a family orientated and holistic approach, the FISH project recognises that parental support is crucial in aiding a young person’s recovery from self harming.”

Ross Hendry, CEO of Spurgeons, said: “We know these are hard times and NHS budgets have many competing priorities. We believe that charities like ours can play a crucial role in helping to safeguard these vulnerable young people. FISH will ease the pressure on CAMHS, enabling them to increase the rates of young people they treat who are at crisis point.

“As a charity that thrives on partnering with other organisations, and which believes every child deserves a future, we want to hear from mental health commissioners who share our mission. By working together we can help give hope to every child.”