Mental Health Solicitors

Children’s mental health services provided by Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have been cited as “outstanding” in a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.

The trust’s child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) – which are delivered across Derby and south Derbyshire – were one of six CAMHS community services nationwide praised in a Care Quality Commission report The state of care in mental health services 2014 to 2017.

The report presents findings from the CQC’s programme of comprehensive inspections of specialist mental health services.

The inclusion of Derbyshire Healthcare’s CAMHS services follows an inspection published in September 2016, which shows that the services were outstanding in terms of being “caring” and “responsive” – and “outstanding” overall.

The report follows several significant changes and improvements to CAMHS services, made possible in part because of additional financial support and commitment to children and young people’s services from local health commissioners, including the establishment of direct working arrangements with partners such as GPs, providing them with advice on how best to support young people who come to them with mental health problems – a model of care that has significantly reduced waiting times compared to the majority of other providers nationwide, says the trust.

Other improvements include the use of talking therapies across the CAMHS community teams in Derby and south Derbyshire – the trust has been developing these for six years as an early implementer of the CYP IAPT initiative (Children and Young People – Improving Access to Psychological Therapies).

There has also been involvement by young people and parents in shaping the service, through a parent participation group and young people’s participation group – and by employing a former service user to be a consultant and “expert by experience” within the team.

There has also been the introduction and implementation of child-centred outcome measures – where children and families set their own goals and the CAMHS team helps them to achieve those; and the creation of a 24-hour CAMHS liaison team called CAMHS RISE within the Royal Derby Hospital, giving immediate support to young people who have attempted suicide or have seriously self-harmed.

Other measures include the close integration in 2016-2017 of CAMHS services with other child health services, such as school nursing, health visiting and paediatricians.

Director of Nursing and Patient Experience at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Carolyn Green, said:

“We are very pleased that the health regulator has referenced our outstanding children’s mental health services in its report today.

“The mental health and wellbeing of young people is high on the national agenda at the moment – and rightly so, because we know that what happens in our early years can have an impact on our health throughout our lives.

“Our CAMHS staff – in collaboration with children and families and with other health professionals – have worked extremely hard in recent years to transform the care they provide and increase their focus on clinical outcomes.

“While there are still further improvements that can be made, the people of Derby and south Derbyshire should be reassured that they are getting one of the best CAMHS services in the country.

“I would like to thank CAMHS colleagues for their commitment to our community – and our Derbyshire commissioners for recognising this important need and supporting our teams.”

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is the UK’s largest provider of Legal Aid mental health services and can advise mental health patients on a wide range of issues – including access to NHS mental health services and detention under the Mental Health Act.

Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors regularly visit NHS hospitals to advise on mental health law – and are available across England and Wales at short notice for hospital and police station appointments.

In some cases, Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors may be able to advise the nearest relative or carer of a mental health patient on a range of issues, including initiating treatment reviews where appropriate.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 020 3114 1124.