Agenda item

Melanie Hall, Healthwatch Rotherham Manager

Melanie Hall, Manager, Healthwatch Rotherham, presented the report produced in partnership with a group of local parents into the work of the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Nationally, health and social care provision was being evaluated in light of the Francis report as well as a national review of CAMHS as part of the Children’s Plan.

In Rotherham stakeholders had come together to produce and deliver the Rotherham Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy for children and young people.  The Strategy would inform service planning and commissioning for the next 5 years.  The aims of the investigation were to:-

-          Seek views on how local people believed the culture of CAMHS was affecting Service delivery

-          Obtain views and ideas as to how things could be done better

-          To share the views of local people with the provider and commissioners of CAMHS

-          Ensure local people in Rotherham knew about the activity

To enable Healthwatch to achieve the above, 3 methodologies were used:-

-          A purpose designed survey

-          A public 2 day event gathering views on themed topics

-          A review of the Healthwatch Rotherham Database

From all the statements made it could be concluded:-

-          that there was a high level of dissatisfaction with the Service provided

-          parents/carers did not feel listened to

-          felt blamed for the problems they and their child were experiencing

-          did not feel included or able to participate

-          no clarity on what to expect from CAMHS and what services they provided

-          difficult to make a complaint

-          complaints were not handled consistently or in a timely manner

-          waiting times to be seen were too long leaving families feeling unsupported

-          when children were discharged from the service it did not always include families and they were unaware they had been discharged

-          no crisis planning leaving families feeling unsupported and not sure what to do

Discussion ensued on the report with the following issues clarified:-

Discussion ensued on the report with the following issues clarified:-

·           This issue was moderate on the escalation policy

·           A good response to the report had been received from RDaSH and a meeting between the participants and RDaSH was to be held

·           It was accepted that the numbers of people with concerns was quite small but they had had negative experiences and the challenge to RDaSH was to prove that these were the exceptions and not the rule

·           Healthwatch had looked into CAMHS because it did not meet the needs of Rotherham’s young people.  It was acknowledged that it was mainly the voice of the young people’s parents who, although very vocal, were still not getting anywhere due to the mechanisms they were using. 

·           They were not being asked to change clinical practices but to be very clear about their customer services, how they treated the families and that they acknowledged the skills the families had

·           The Health and Wellbeing Board Customer Charter that partners were asked to sign up stated how every individual should be treat as well as the NHS Constitution

Resolved:-  (1)  That the report be noted.

(2)  That CAMHS be included as part of the Select Commission’s work on Mental Health and Wellbeing during 2014/15.