Four in 10 CAMHS failed to adapt support services during lockdown, research shows
Fiona Simpson
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Four in 10 child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) have not implemented any new online support for young people during the Covid-19 pandemic, new research shows.
A survey of 135 NHS clinical commissioning groups also found that 64 per cent of CAMHS are currently signposting children and young people to online resources rather than proven digital interventions such as talking therapies.
The new study, carried out by BFB labs, creators of digital early intervention programmes, found that the main barriers to moving services online were limited knowledge of available digital interventions, cost and a lack of clinical evidence on efectiveness.
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Some 45 per cent of CAMHS believe online programmes have a role to play in early intervention support.
The findings come despite research from the Centre for Mental Health forecasting that as many as 1.5m young people in England will need help with psychological difficulties as a direct result of the crisis while three-quarters of young people experiencing a mental health problem are unable to access any treatment at all.
Earlier this week, it emerged that efforts to improve support for young people with mental health problems by strengthening links between schools and children and young people’s mental health services are facing long-term sustainability issues.
Manjul Rathee, chief executive of BFB labs warned of a “postcode” lottery for young people needing to access online support services.
“Early intervention really matters in young people’s mental health - untreated mental health issues can lead to life-long consequences," he said.
“We have a window now to prepare for what lies ahead. That means putting in place digital interventions that can scale access to evidence-based support to enable those young people who need support to receive care quickly."