Five priorities from Paul Burstow on CYPMH

The Guardian recently published a piece by Paul Burstow, Chair of Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, which looks at the importance of investing in children’s mental health for the future of the nation.

With a green paper for children and young people’s mental health on the horizon, Burstow makes recommendations for future policy. Burstow is the former minister of state for care services, and his remit covered a wide range of social issues including mental health.

In the piece, Burstow writes about the economic costs of poor mental health, the importance of the role that schools can play and some lessons that can be learned from mental health support in schools in Camden and New South Wales, Australia.

He says: “The mental wealth of the nation is critical to our future, the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and parents should be a priority”.

Below we’ve summarised Burstow’s five priorities for children and young people’s mental health:

• “It’s time to make CAMHS services up to age 25 the norm.”
• ”Mental health and wellbeing should be integral to the life and work of schools, not a bolt on.”
• “A proactive approach to identifying and meeting need could do much to prevent mental distress entrenching into lifelong mental illness, offering timely support to parents to strengthen parenting and reduce conflict.”
• “Embedding mental health expertise in every school as part of a richer CAMHS offer ensures there is no wrong door for young people when it comes to getting the right help at the right time.”
• “We need to build on the progress already made with the CYP IAPT programme, deliver CAMHS services that focus on outcomes; make a reality of shared decision-making; and deliver evidence-based interventions and support.”

The collection of high quality data about activity and outcomes is central to improving services for children and young people.

We’re here to help. Contact us today to discuss how iaptus CYP can support your service management and improvement. Or join an upcoming iaptus CYP webinar to find out more.