Call for clarity over mental health support for young people in Central Bedfordshire

An overview of mental health services in Central Bedfordshire was presented to yesterday’s Social Care, Health and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Monday, April 14).

This led to councillor Helen Wightwick (Labour, Stotfold) asking for progress on the thresholds for children and adolescents to access care.

“I’m just wondering whether you’ve made any progress with that,” she asked.

Jo Meehan, associate director Beds and Luton CAMHS, said that thresholds are “really difficult” to spell out.

She added that learning from the system used in Manchester could help to standardize the care pathways.

“There is variance between our pathways within Bedfordshire, Luton and our colleagues in East London,” she said.

“It’s an opportunity for us to be really clear about evidence-based care pathways to avoid that confusion in terms of thresholds.”

Committee chair, councillor Emma Holland-Lindsay (Lib Dem, Leighton Linslade South) asked whether assessments led directly into care or caused delays.

“So there’s no weight on the other end to say you need counselling, you’ve got to wait X weeks for that, that would just be straight in?” she asked.

Ms Meehan said: “If it’s very low-level support, they’ll be held by that same clinician.

“If their needs escalate or are deemed more complex than that pathway can offer they will just be transferred to the most appropriate pathway.

“It might be in disorders, it might be neurodevelopmental, but the clock doesn’t stop and start,” she said.

Councillor Holland-Lindsay wondered if capacity issues could lead to delays.

Ms Meehan said young people are allocated into groups.

“We’ve had to do a different way of working since we’ve taken on what was the old Chums contract,” she explained.

“So we’re working much more broadly across all of our pathways and then the young person would move into specialist provisions.”

Ms Meehan acknowledged ongoing workforce shortages, particularly in psychiatry and psychology.

“We’re doing everything we can to see how we can promote self-help as well while young people are waiting, so we’ve got that watchful waiting period,” she said.

Councillor Mark Versallion (Conservative, Heath and Reach) said: “But the issue of… the allegation, the conspiracy theory amongst many parents, is that their child is seen and then quickly discharged because they don’t meet the threshold.

“But you guys get to meet the target of having seen them.

“And then the child and the family then still live in crisis for another 6-12 months when they get seen by the GP.

“So, I’m not seeing that data, that measurement in your report, are you able to elaborate on whether that could be made available?” he asked.

Ms Meehan said: “That’s something we’re working with [partners], it was one of the points that we came together about the re-referrals and how we support those young people.

“I haven’t got the data to hand and we haven’t got reports that can run it, but I’m sure we are certainly thinking about it.

“Thinking about how we can catch up with the young people that do re-present again,” she said.