Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has issued a compelling call for urgent reforms to tackle the persistent inequalities and prolonged waiting times affecting children's mental health services across the country. Her latest annual report, released to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, highlights significant disparities in access to care and emphasizes the need for systemic change.
Rising Demand: As of March 2024, over 958,200 children in England had active referrals to Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS), marking an increase of 10,000 from the previous year.
Age Disparities: Children aged 13 to 15 constituted the largest group accessing treatment, representing 35% of all those entering treatment, despite making up only 18% of the child population.
Regional Inequalities: The report reveals that children in certain regions are waiting up to 17 times longer for treatment compared to others, underscoring deep-seated regional disparities in service provision.
Crisis Referrals: Nearly 60,000 children were referred for being 'in crisis' during the 2023-24 period, accounting for more than 6% of all referrals to children's mental health services that year.
Dame Rachel de Souza emphasizes the necessity of placing children at the center of the forthcoming NHS 10-Year Plan. She advocates for:
Eliminating Regional Disparities: Implementing strategies to ensure equitable access to mental health services across all regions.
Improving Data Collection: Enhancing the quality and consistency of data on children's health to inform better service delivery.
Streamlining Diagnosis Processes: Reviewing and standardizing routes to diagnosis to reduce waiting times and ensure timely intervention.
Unified Definitions: Establishing shared definitions of health conditions accepted by professionals nationwide to facilitate consistent care.
The report underscores the critical link between mental health and education, noting that children with unmet mental health needs are more likely to miss school and fall behind academically. Dame Rachel stresses the importance of early, fair, and local interventions to support children's well-being and educational outcomes.
For more detailed information, please refer to the full press notice on the Children's Commissioner's website: Children’s Commissioner Calls for Urgent Action