Data collected by NHS Benchmarking Network on behalf of Health Education England (HEE) shows there were 24,848 post-holders employed in children and young people’s mental health (CYPMH) services across England on 31 March 2021, delivering a total of 20,626 whole-time equivalent (WTE) staff across NHS, voluntary and local authority providers.
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The figures represent a 39 per cent rise in WTE staff compared to the previous census published in August 2019 and is 63 per cent higher than the 12,683 WTE staff recorded in 2016 when the census was first carried out.
The NHS employs 75 per cent of staff in core CYPMH services with four-fifths of those staff working in the community. The second largest sector in terms of workforce size is the independent sector (2,293 WTE) who employ 11 per cent of the total CYPMH staff reported in England.
The figures also reveal a significant fall in the number of CYPMH staff employed by local authorities over the past two years.
While the median average of 13 staff per local authority is roughly in line with the previous rate – the report highlights the “notable variation” between authorities due to different service models – the total headcount of staff working in councils was 746 (600 WTE), 41 per cent lower than the 1,259 employed in 2019.
The report states the fall could be due to a reduction in survey participation – 40 per cent failed to respond compared to 18 per cent in 2019 – and changes in service delivery models.
Anntoinette Bramble, chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said the fall in the CYPMH workforce in councils is “extremely concerning” at a time when children’s mental health needs are soaring.
She said: “Councils have proved how critical they are in providing services during Covid-19, working closely with schools and other partners to provide support to children and young people, but have had to divert all their early intervention spending into more acute services due to overstretched budgets.
“Local authorities need properly resourcing to take a lead role in mental health to help government build back better, particularly as mental health specialists are one of the biggest recruitment challenges for councils. This means being treated as more of an equal partner to the NHS in improving mental health and getting enough funding to help people in need of support in their communities.
“With the annual cost of mental health problems in England estimated to be £119 billion, local government mental health services need sufficient funding to meet current, unmet and new demand for mental health support, including preventative mental wellbeing work that can stop the escalation of mental health needs so that more costly NHS treatment is avoided.”
The HEE data shows NHS mental health services are looking after more children and young people than ever before with over 420,000 treated in 2020/21 which is almost 100,000 more than three years ago though demand for services has also risen.
While the workforce has grown 39 per cent, vacancies have risen 43 per cent to 1,588 WTE posts in the 2021 data collection.
Dr Navina Evans, HEE chief executive, said: “This important snapshot of the CYPMH workforce shows how it has grown since this census was first carried out in 2016, in response to the increasing need and demand for children and young people’s mental health care.
“All the staff who work across the CYPMH workforce have been vital in supporting more children and young people with mental health needs than ever before. It is essential that we continue to invest in education and training to grow the workforce further and encourage people to consider a career in mental healthcare.
“We need to prioritise better access to services and ensuring the CYPMH workforce of today and tomorrow has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours, at the right time.”
Meanwhile, a survey by the House of Lords public services committee found that nine out of 10 councils, charities and other organisations supporting vulnerable families reported a rise in the number of children seeking help with mental health issues since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.
In addition, 86 per cent of the 187 services to respond said mental health issues of children already receiving support had deteriorated over the past 18 months.
The findings come as the committee prepares to publish a report of its inquiry into the role of public services in addressing child vulnerability.
Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top, chair of the committee, said: “The results of our survey show just how much the pandemic has taken its toll and added to the pressures facing thousands of children and families, and the frontline staff working hard to keep them safe.
“We know too that there has been a significant and worrying increase in the number of vulnerable children who are invisible to public services and not receiving any help at all since the beginning of the pandemic.”
