Agenda item - Future in Mind Update

Agenda item

Future in Mind Update

Report of the Director of Public Health and the Director of Children’s Integrated Services.

Minutes:

Helene Denness, Consultant in Public Health, presented the report which updates the Board for the third year on the ‘Future in Mind’ programme. Lucy Peel, Programme Lead, Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing (Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City), and

Aileen Wilson, Head of Early Help Services (NCC), delivered a presentation to accompany the report.

 

The profile of this topic has been significantly raised recently and received a lot of political attention which has resulted additional measures including ensuring that children and young people have access to mental health support services within four weeks of applying to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS).

 

Current activity relies on statistics from a 2004 survey of children and young people’s emotional health and well-being, the survey has recently been repeated and the findings will be released later this year. It is anticipated that the numbers of young people acknowledging issues has increased year on year.

 

Health care providers are sensitive to the increasing need and are working in partnership on the Future in Mind local transformation plan, which is in its third year and has resulted in:

 

o  the purpose built facility ‘Hopewood’ on Mansfield Road which will include new inpatient and outpatient facilities for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS);

 

o  the MH:2K project which aims for 30 local young people to be trained to deliver engagement events for young people across the City and County (more than 700 young people have been engaged so far) to gauge what support young people want and need. A showcase event will be held at 10 May 2018 and all members of the Board will be invited to attend;

 

o  establishment of a targeted CAMHS Service User Group;

 

o  Early intervention work including:

 

·   whole-school approaches to wellbeing;

·   Universal services CAMHS practitioner role;

·  ‘Time4me’, self-harm clinics in schools, and ‘Amazing Me’;

·  ‘New Forest Parenting Programme’;

 

o  Targeted CAMHS including:

 

·  a new Syrian Refugee Practitioner post;

·  support for the ‘Trans4Me Group’;

·  focus on better supporting universal services and reducing waiting times for interventions;

 

o  Specialist CAMHS including:

 

·  an expanded Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team;

·  further focus on CYP Eating Disorder Service;

·  focus on improving waiting times for assessment and treatment.

 

Nottingham City is considered as performing ahead of many other cities and has mental health workers and counsellors already established in many schools with other work under development. Added to which, the current average waiting time to access CAMHS in Nottingham is 2.86 weeks (ranked third in the country), whilst the next shortest waiting time the country is 5.3 weeks.

 

However there are challenges and whilst there is additional financial support from central government to assist in addressing mental health issues, services are not able to meet the requirements of young people at an early stage and staff retention remains a concern.

 

Key priorities of the Future in Mind programme are set out within the report but summarised as follows:

o  complete sign-up to the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Charter for City schools;

o  further strengthening joint working between targeted and specialist CAMHS;

o  rolling out CAMHS Liaison at Queen’s Medical Centre;

o  strengthening mental health support to looked after children and care leavers.

 

It is noted that a project to develop personal health budgets for children in care and care leavers is to be rolled out in the near future.

 

Councillor David Mellen welcomed the comprehensive update report and commented that Nottingham City is in a good position with regard to progressing mental health and well-being services for young people, but asked Board Members in attendance if they felt confident that they could direct young people to the support which they may need?

 

Zoe Butler, Further Education Representative, responded that colleges are very different to schools but are keen to understand the learning of schools and how it can be taken into secondary schools and beyond as mental health is an issue for a huge number of young people aged 16-18 years old. The same commitment and focus needs to be given to young people leaving school and/or entering further education as support at this level doesn’t currently exist. Offending rates are significant regarding adolescents with mental health issues.

 

John Yarham, Chief Executive of Futures Advice, Skills and Employment Ltd, commented that the biggest risk to the success of young people is mental health, and suggested that the City Mental Health Charter should have greater visibility across partner organisations.

 

Superintendent Ted Antill, Nottinghamshire Police, echoed what had been said and added that the Police have to try to quantify what level of the high demand on services is as a result of mental health issues. There is also concern that in areas where other partner provision may be lacking, not just in mental health support but including poor education and behaviour, there is often further pressure on Police Services as a result. Work is ongoing around situations where previously the Police were required to enforce Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, in that there is now a broader consideration of identifying how to appropriately support young people, including distinguishing if psychological difficulties are as a result of trauma. As a result, the numbers of detentions under Sections 136 have reduced.

 

Maria Ward, Governor Representative, welcomed the broadening of mental health training and shared learning across children’s services as beneficial.

 

It is noted that at every training course provided by the local authority, places are available for external partners. The Future in Mind programme has funded two additional posts and is investigating the funding of a carer’s support post.

 

A gap in provision of services for older adolescent young people is recognised, is being considered by commissioners and will be included in the work to simplify pathways and increase partner co-ordination as there is currently fragmentation in some areas.

 

RESOLVED to

 

(i)  note the contents of the report and progress to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in Nottingham;

 

(ii)  note Nottingham City Targeted CAMHS Team’s offer to be a trailblazer, testing the new ways of working proposed in the green paper;

 

(iii)  receive a further update in 6 months’ time to include progress on the Nottingham College Wellbeing Hub and the new inpatient and outpatient facilities for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services atHopewood.

Supporting documents: