• NHS England has announced that a new taskforce will be set up to improve current specialist children and young people’s inpatient mental health, autism and learning disability services.
• NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens also announced that children’s commissioner Anne Longfield OBE will chair an independent oversight board to scrutinise and support the work of the taskforce.
• This will track progress and propose rapid improvements in existing services, examine the best approach to complex issues such as inappropriate care, out of area placements, length of stays and oversee the development of genuine alternatives to care, closer to home.
• Today's developments come as part of a package of measures in the NHS long term plan.

 
Responding to NHS England’s announcement of a new taskforce to improve specialist mental health services, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

“It is welcome to see a new taskforce set up to improve current specialist children and young people’s inpatient mental health, autism and learning disability services, as part of delivering on the ambitions of the NHS long term plan.

According to our recent survey, a third of mental health leaders said that children and young people are increasingly waiting longer to access treatment for inpatient services and 29% felt they are unable to meet current demand.

Saffron Cordery    Deputy Chief Executive

“There is a significant unmet demand in children and young peoples’ services. According to our recent survey, a third of mental health leaders said that children and young people are increasingly waiting longer to access treatment for inpatient services and 29% felt they are unable to meet current demand.

“It is good to see the ambitions in the long term plan to help close this gap but it clearly requires things to be done differently. For example, current service models must be transformed to create a comprehensive offer for those up to the age of 25.

But there is a great deal to deliver here and we have to be realistic about how quickly progress can be made given the capacity and resources currently available.

Saffron Cordery    Deputy Chief Executive

“That’s why the additional scrutiny and support set out today is very much needed. But there is a great deal to deliver here and we have to be realistic about how quickly progress can be made given the capacity and resources currently available.

“The taskforce’s ability to succeed in rapidly improving care will be severely hampered if the gaps in the mental health workforce and the lack of capital investment remain unaddressed.”