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Children’s mental health taskforce launched by Care Minister (21 July 2014)

Date: 21/07/2014
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Children’s mental health taskforce launched by Care Minister

The government has launched a new child mental health taskforce in response to NHS England findings that young people with mental health conditions are being “inappropriately treated” because of lack of support in communities.

Care Minister Norman Lamb – MP for North Norfolk – announced the child mental health taskforce at a Health Select Committee inquiry hearing.

The taskforce into child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) is to be chaired by the government’s social care director general Jon Rouse, the website Children & Young People Now reports.

Representatives from NHS England, the Department for Education, local councils, the charity sector and young people with mental health issues will all be involved in reviewing how CAMHS are commissioned, so that appropriate mental health services in hospitals and in the community can be provided for young patients.

Mr Lamb told MPs:

“There is a long overdue need for a thorough review of CAMHS.

“We have commissioning from councils, schools, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England. That can’t make sense.

“We must involve young service users – and look at how we can achieve a much more rational use of the resources available and avoid the potential for perverse incentives that exist at the moment.

“I’m looking to find ways to align commissioning and ideally to pool the budgets where possible.

“I also want to promote exemplars around the country – and trial a new way of aligned commissioning.”

The charity YoungMinds estimates that in the UK, around 850,000 young people and children have a diagnosed mental health problem – and many more young people with mental health issues may be undiagnosed.

The charity’s chief executive, Sarah Brennan, called the NHS report into inpatient Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services – published earlier in July –
“distressing to read”.

Ms Brennan said:

"The report describes an overly complicated, poorly understood commissioning process operating without the core basic information they need, trying to meet needs that should have been prevented much earlier on.

“YoungMinds has frequently highlighted the dangers of the lack of early intervention services and poor data in CAMHS – this report demonstrates the confusion and poor services that can result.

“As well as getting the system right, this report also identifies a lack of capacity and a lack of resources.

“We have to increase investment in children and young people’s mental health, particularly in early intervention – otherwise we will continue to fail some of our most vulnerable children and young people.”

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of specialist mental health solicitors and can advise on mental health law free-of-charge to NHS mental health patients.

Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors regularly visit hospitals and police stations to advise on matters such as detention under the Mental Health Act – and may be able to advise the Nearest Relative (NR) or carer of a mental health patient on issues such as access to mental health services or initiating treatment reviews.

For expert advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 0203 114 1124.

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