New mental health services for children and young people in Surrey launched

A new partnership model of care, which aims to deliver a wider range of support to children and young people with mental health issues or learning disabilities, has been launched in Surrey.

The model, called Mindsight Surrey CAMHS and led by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, will deliver a wider range of support to more children and young people with the aim of reaching them before they become seriously unwell through early intervention and prevention services. 

Surrey’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups – which plan and buy local services – and Surrey County Council have invested an extra £2.3 million to improve the services. Greater resources were identified following a period of public engagement undertaken between July and October 2014.

The increased funding has allowed the Trust to provide new treatment pathways designed to enable children and young people to access services at an earlier stage and extend its reach to vulnerable groups such as those leaving care or who have suffered sexual trauma. The partnership model provides, for example, services to meet the complex needs of young people, as well as early support in a variety of ways, including guided self-help and online counselling.

One new development is a Behaviour and Neurodevelopment service, which is specifically designed to provide information, advice, guidance and treatment for children, young people and their families, for example, following a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

One of the key changes to the way services are provided is the creation of a single point of contact for referrals to Mindsight Surrey CAMHS and booking of appointments (0300 222 5755). This is open 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings, and will take referrals from health, education and social care practitioners and provide advice to young people and their families. This is managed by Beacon UK and will ensure that those being referred are in contact with the right service and get the appropriate level of treatment and support.

Fiona Edwards, chief executive of Surrey and Borders, said: “At Surrey and Borders, we are incredibly proud to be leading an innovative partnership of 15 national and local voluntary, statutory and private providers, all of whom have proven track records in delivering services to children and young people. With an almost 30% increase in funding, we are both excited and confident that the service will bring much wider benefits to the mental health and wellbeing of Surrey’s children and young people.”