Children and young people’s mental health requires a system approach

Responding to a report on children and young people's mental health services from the Centre for Mental Health 'Time for Action', Sean Duggan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation's Mental Health Network said:

“Children and young people’s mental health services have historically been underfunded which sadly means preventative approaches and early intervention often fall by the wayside as service leaders manage crisis after crisis.

“The consequences of this lack of investment, as well as the fall-out from the pandemic means children and young people are experiencing long waits before they can access mental health services, and this has a knock-on effect in the long term for those children as they move into adulthood.

“Early intervention is essential, most importantly it means better outcomes for children and young people but is also significant in terms of the important cost savings for the NHS later.

“Children and young people’s mental health requires a system approach, as there are many different agencies involved.  As we move to system working, we have an opportunity like never before to construct a truly joined-up approach, but we must capitalise on this.”