System leaders adopt mental health services pathway

Senior health and care leaders have adopted a set of recommendations to improve mental health services for children and young people (CYP) that resulted from a system-wide transformation design led by Health Innovation North West Coast.

The recommendations feature in a report, co-designed by a range of stakeholders from across the region, that proposes redeploying resources, embracing new technology and taking a multi-agency approach to improve access to care and reduce waiting times.

A further project also identified the gaps in provision between current services and the new model to create gap analysis.

Health and care leaders at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and at Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board have used this gap analysis to inform their delivery plan for the next two years.  

The report – A service model for children and young people’s mental health – explores each step of the individual’s treatment journey, from preventative community services to inpatient care.

Its proposals aim to ease additional strains on services caused by the pandemic and were developed with expert contributions from health, social care, police, ambulance and voluntary sector representatives.

The challenge to deliver improved access to services is pressing. Around one in six young people in the UK are likely to have a mental health problem, but rising demand has not been met by an increase in provision. This is down to several factors, including workforce challenges and insufficient funding.

The report’s five key proposals are:

• A greater emphasis on prevention and education
• The creation of a single online point of access to educational and other resources
• The development of a multi-agency approach, involving everyone in a young person’s network
• The creation of an online self-management platform
• An innovative approach to services for individuals in crisis

Claire James, Mental Health Programme Director at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “Health Innovation North West Coast brought real energy to this work. Their ability to unite such a wide range of stakeholders created a strong spirit of collaboration from the start.

"With a clear, structured approach and a real commitment to inclusion, including amplifying the patient voice, they are helping to drive the work forward in a meaningful and impactful way.”

Lesley Tiffen, Associate Director of Mental Health at Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said: “The team's report will shape the way we'll deliver services in the coming years. The support from Health Innovation North West Coast to support us embedding the recommendations into our local plans has also been invaluable."

The report is the fruit of a project that began when Health Education England commissioned Health Innovation North West Coast’s Coaching Academy and mental health team to lead the development of a cross-sector pathway for the North West region.

The Coaching Academy hosted a series of ‘design-thinking’ workshops that encouraged attendees from all sectors to share experiences and aimed at an improved understanding of service-users’ challenges.

‘Rapid-insights’ sessions gave a platform to service-users to describe their experiences of services and suggest improvements.

You can download the report here.

Health Innovation North West Coast is now supporting the development of a young adults service model in Cheshire and Merseyside, one of the priority areas identified in the report. We are taking a design thinking approach through a series of workshops to imagine a better future state for young adults, tackling some of the tricky issues around transition, culture and making services relevant to those who need to access them.

Read Alice Fletcher's blog: Blueprint for young people's better mental health