When Gordon Brown insisted on tying child and adolescent mental healthservices (CAMHS) into Treasury targets in 2002, it seemed their time inthe sun had finally arrived.
Before then, the Cinderella service of the NHS had fought long and hardfor funding and development. But since the Chancellor's interventionlocal authorities and primary care trusts have enjoyed an extra 300m through the child and adolescent mental health services grant.
In return for the funding, they had until the end of 2006 to cometogether to provide comprehensive services that met the mental healthneeds of all children and young people either in the community orhospital.
Measuring success
So have they managed it? Initially services were expected to focus onboosting mental health promotion and early intervention, introducing thenew role of primary mental health workers, and ratcheting up capacitythrough increased staffing, patient contact and investment by 10 percent.
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