Agenda item

Report of the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust.

The Committee received a report on the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services CAMHS Waiting Time presented by James Graham, General Manager of Durham and Tees Valley Community CAMHS (for copy of report, see file of minutes).

Angela Gunn commended the good work which had led to improvements in the rate of referrals and she added that it would be useful to have details on metrics for the quality of the service. The General Manager acknowledged there was work to be done on the quality of outcome metrics and it was hoped that the transition to a new patient record system will lead to better quality data in the future, including flow through the system.  In relation to the number and type of referrals, the General Manager clarified that a number of patients classed as ‘getting help’ required targeted, short term interventions therefore patient turnover was high. Those with more complex needs required services for longer time periods. Some of those with complex needs were at high risk of harm and those young people with complex needs accounted for approximately 70% of capacity.  Workforce challenges were an issue and work was taking place to explore all possible options to meet needs and support families waiting for services.

In reply to a question from Angela Gunn with regard to the term ‘unique’ patient count, the General Manager explained that some young people will be open to more than one team and in these cases, the young person was counted against the team that they were initially open to.

Angela Gunn raised the issue of barriers to accessing medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and she asked for information on the length of the waiting times for ADHD medication.  The General Manager informed the Committee that, from the point of assessment, the current waiting time was approximately 3 to 6 months.