Changes in the way local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are designed and delivered across NHS Forth Valley has resulted in significant improvements and reduced waiting times for young people experiencing severe and complex mental ill health.

A new Choice and Partnership (CAPA*) approach has been put in place to help increase the range of treatment options available, maximise capacity and improve the management and monitoring of demand and capacity. This internationally renowned approach is having a positive impact on local services with NHS Forth Valley CAMHS and now exceeding the national waiting times target of ensuring 90% of children and young people are seen and treated being within 18 weeks of being referred.

The current performance of 95.6% is also above the national average of 83.8% and the service is confident this performance will be maintained in the weeks and months ahead. In addition, very long waits have been eliminated and there are currently no children or young people waiting over 18 weeks for an initial assessment. This is a significant improvement on previous performance against the 18-week referral to treatment target (RTT) which has more than doubled in the last 12 months.

Lesley Dunabie, Department Manager/Head of Nursing for CAMHS services in NHS Forth Valley, said: “While we are delighted at the positive impact of the changes we have made, we now need to maintain and build on this work by continuing to develop and improve local services for children and young people with very severe, complex and persistent symptoms of serious mental illness”.

The service is also working alongside partners in local councils to help increase access to a range of new community-based services which aim to make it quicker and easier for children and young people to access mental health and wellbeing support at an early stage.

Young people can also access mental health support and advice from Primary Care Mental Health Workers who are now working in local GP Practices across Forth Valley. This includes support for anxiety, depression and sleep problems which many young people experience.”

Additional Information

CAPA is a clinical model, developed in the UK, which has been successfully introduced in CAMHS and learning disability teams across the UK, Australia and New Zealand, Belgium and Canada.

It combines the active involvement of service users, improved demand and capacity management and new approaches to clinical skills and job planning. It focuses on choice, goals and care planning to improve access, maximise capacity and reduce waiting lists.