Three medical royal colleges have agreed to work together to press for improved services for children and young people with mental health problems.
The three colleges announced joint work in several areas aimed at improving standards – while calling for more resources in psychiatry and primary care.
The project involves the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of GPs.
The colleges promised to ensure the "highest quality training" in this area of practice.
They promised to support models of care that would integrate services and be backed by evidence.
And they called for resources to be directed towards early intervention and patient resilience.
The colleges say an effective system for young people requires a "preventative, multi-agency" approach – and that all government departments, including education and justice, should have a shared vision in the area.
Dr Faraz Mughal, from the RCGP, said: "We desperately need more, and more varied, mental health services in the community, where they can be of most benefit for our patients – and GPs need to have better and quicker access to these services for our patients."
Dr Bernadka Dubicka, from the RCPsych, said: "Too many children and young people are falling through the gaps. Our NHS is so overstretched, they are unable to access care.
"Patients either aren’t getting the help they need, when they need it, or they are being sent hundreds of miles from home and family for treatment – a practice we know hinders their recovery."
Leave a Reply