• Care Quality Commission publishes initial review of mental health services for children and young people
• It finds too many young people find it difficult to access services with a lot of variation in the quality of care provided
• We say that while many young people receive excellent NHS mental health care, they often encounter unacceptable delays to getting it

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its initial review of mental health services for children and young people.

This is the first phase of a major thematic review requested by the Prime Minister.

Findings include:

• whilst most specialist services provide good quality care too many young people find it difficult to access services;
• when concerns are identified children and young people, and their families, often struggle to navigate the complicated system of services;
• there is a lot of variation in the quality of care that is provided

These will inform the government’s forthcoming green paper on children and young people’s mental health.

Responding to the initial review of mental health services for children and young people by the CQC, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said:

“It is right that mental health services for children and young people have been made a national priority. The consequences of failure can be severe and long lasting.

“This report is clear that while many young people receive excellent NHS mental health care, they often encounter unacceptable delays to getting it, and for some the quality of care falls short of what they need and deserve.

This report is clear that while many young people receive excellent NHS mental health care, they often encounter unacceptable delays to getting it.

“Our recent report The State of the NHS Provider Sector highlighted deep concerns among NHS mental health trust leaders about increasing pressures on services. In particular it pointed to the growth in the numbers of children attending A & E departments for psychiatric reasons and the rise in referrals for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

“At the same time trusts face enormous funding pressures, and workforce challenges are growing – once again, particularly in CAMHS.

“Trusts are working hard to deliver safe, timely, high quality care in an extremely difficult environment.

“We look forward to the speedy publication of the government’s green paper, to support improvements in care that we all want to see.”