• Care Quality Commission publish report on children and young people's mental health services 

Responding to the report by Care Quality Commission (CQC) on children and young people’s mental health services, NHS Providers deputy chief executive, Saffron Cordery, said:

"We welcome this report which sets out an authoritative and insightful explanation of the challenges facing NHS providers working in this field, and the children and families who use their services. .

"Our survey of mental health trusts last year found over half were worried about their ability to meet rising demand for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

CQC rightly says concerted action is needed to address the fragmented and inefficient way services are commissioned.

"CQC rightly says concerted action is needed to address the fragmented and inefficient way services are commissioned. It has shown how this is damaging funding for frontline services.

"We support its call for national ministerial leadership to overcome this problem and oversee progress across government.

"We also welcome the commitment from the National Audit Office (NAO) to look at the full commissioning landscape in their value for money audit of CAMHS.

"While sustainability and transformation partnerships and integrated care systems can improve partnership working in health and social care, they are not statutory bodies and do not encompass all the organisations involved in CAMHS. We should not see structural change as a necessary precursor to tackling these challenges.

"CQC’s report shows how improvements in these services for children and their families can be achieved through better communication and collaboration between the agencies involved, and by more directly involving children, young people and their families in planning and decision-making. Providers are committed to achieving this, but statutory guidance may obstruct rather than support this process.”