7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Child and adolescent mental health

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:26 pm on 18 May 2022.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Lynne Neagle Lynne Neagle Labour 6:26, 18 May 2022

Thank you, Darren. As you say, it's not just about the waiting times. I have myself called for there to be more of a focus on outcomes and what happens to young people once they have that assessment. We are currently working on validating the data so that we can provide more public information on access to psychological treatments. But I think what you've just said, really, shows that it has to be a whole-system approach, which is what we are trying to do.

We've strengthened our arrangements to monitor both the quality and performance of NHS mental health services by meetings with the NHS delivery unit on a monthly basis. Given the variance in waiting times performance, we've also commissioned the NHS delivery unit to undertake a review of both primary and specialist CAMHS. This will help us understand the variance, and will support our improvement programme, because we have to have the correct data.

As we emerge from the pandemic, our services need time to recover and to develop models that can meet the changing needs of individuals, and do it sustainably, without destabilising other parts of the service. My focus is on prevention, early intervention and strengthening specialist services for those young people that need that level of support. This includes our joint ministerial whole-system approach which has our schools at the centre of improving the emotional well-being of young people. Our approach includes supporting good mental health through the curriculum, helping schools to identify and support young people who need help sooner, but also linking to advice and support from CAMHS with the roll-out of the CAMHS inreach service. So, indeed, James, we are actually doing all the things that you have referred to.

We continue to drive implementation of our NEST/NYTH framework across Wales via regional partnership boards, and we're supporting the framework implementation in a systematic and integrated way. All young people need safe, nurturing relationships, with trusted adults wherever they live their lives. This is at the very heart of our NEST framework. Crucially, this will help provide early emotional and mental health support for those who do not need clinical support or intervention. I've been pleased to hear first-hand from RPBs of some of the new and expanded services implemented as a result of the NEST framework, a framework that has been co-produced with a wide range of stakeholders, but crucially with young people themselves.

We continue to strengthen our tier 0/1 offer for young people, providing easy access to a range of support without the need for referral. We've updated the young persons mental health toolkit, which links young people aged 11 to 25 to websites, apps and helplines that deal with anxiety, low mood, bereavement, advice on keeping well and building resilience. We've extended our roll-out of online cognitive behavioural therapy via SilverCloud  to include a new model for young people.

To progress our transformation of specialist services, we are implementing single points of contact for CAMHS services in each health board, ensuring easier access to the right level of support. To improve how services respond to mental health crisis, health boards are working towards the full roll-out of '111, press 2' for mental health for all ages. This will provide immediate access to a mental health practitioner over the phone, 24 hours a day, to provide advice, support and referral. Health boards are phasing in this service, and the early evaluation is promising.

We will be supporting Plaid Cymru's amendment today and it's reflection of the joint commitment we have made in the co-operation agreement, but I want to be crystal clear that our commitment is to pilot community facilities to support young people in crisis. They will provide an alternative to hospital admission, but will also be able to provide clear referrals into NHS services if needed, and will be available on weekends and evenings. We are in the early stages of four pilots in Llanelli, Aberystwyth, Wrexham and Swansea to test sanctuary provision for young people. These models will aim to support the young person and prevent the need for escalation. If successful, this model could also provide an alternative to section 136 detentions when appropriate. But I also want to emphasise that this Welsh Labour Government is already taking an approach to protect the mental health and emotional well-being of children and young people, which has early intervention and prevention as its very core. Our whole-school approach, NEST, CAMHS inreach and improved access to tier 0/1 services are already being funded and rolled out across the country to ensure we make progress on this agenda. 

Having a sustainable, multiprofessional mental health workforce is, of course, fundamental to the improvements I've talked about, and I met Health Education and Improvement Wales and Social Care Wales yesterday to receive an update on their new mental health workforce strategy following their extensive consultation. And, of course, the approach I have set out today is supported by our continued additional investment in mental health services, with £50 million additional funding this year, rising to £75 million next year and £90 million in 2024-25. Over £21 million of this extra funding this year will go directly to the NHS to support priority areas, including CAMHS, eating disorders and crisis care. This is significant and recurrent investment that underpins the whole-system approach we are taking to supporting the mental and emotional health of all children and young people in Wales. Diolch yn fawr.