NHS mental health drive 'not broad enough', warn children's services leaders

On Thursday, NHS chief executive Simon Stevens announced that a new taskforce will be set up to improve current specialist children and young people's inpatient mental health, autism and learning disability services in England as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

It will have a particular focus on boosting community services and reducing the over reliance on inpatient care, with these more intensive services significantly improved and more effectively joined up with schools and councils.

But, while broadly welcoming the proposals, the Association of Directors of Children's Services, said the focus of the plan neglects many children in need of support.

"We welcome the proposals set out in the NHS Long Term Plan for children with autism and learning disabilities, but it is disappointing the plan has not brought into scope the needs of young people with other additional needs and disabilities," Charlotte Ramsden, chair of the ADCS health, care and additional needs policy committee, said.

"For children with low-level mental health needs, it remains the case that there are lengthy waiting times to access support."

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The new taskforce will seek to make rapid improvements in care over an 18-month period and agree a set of recommendations for next steps.

It will be overseen by an independent board chaired by the children's commissioner for England Anne Longfield, which the NHS said will be given wide-ranging scope to track progress and propose rapid improvements in existing services, and examine the best approach to complex issues such as inappropriate care, out of area placements, length of stays and oversee the development of genuine alternatives to care, closer to home.

Ramsden said the ADCS particularly welcomed the push for more local support for young people with mental health problems.

"Due to extremely limited availability of the right specialist child and adolescent mental health provision there can be delays in accessing appropriate support and therapeutic intervention and all too often placements are far from home so we are pleased to see closeness to home as a key area of focus here," she said.

Stevens said: "This taskforce will place a spotlight on services and care for some of the most vulnerable young people in our society, bringing together families, leading clinicians, charities, and other public bodies to help make these services as effective, safe and supportive as possible for thousands of families.

"The NHS Long Term Plan lays out a package of measures which will mean more than two million extra children and adults get the mental health care they need and while early intervention to stop ill health escalating is a priority, we are also determined to provide the strongest possible safety net for families living with the most acute conditions."

Anne Longfield said: "Research published by my office earlier this year found that far too many children are stuck in hospital for months or even years when they do not need to be there.

"I am pleased that this taskforce has been announced to change this unacceptable situation, and I am delighted to chair this independent oversight group to amplify the voice of these children and their families, scrutinise progress and hold the system to account."