Health and care experience profile #1

Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Healthwatch Peterborough produced a Health and Care Experience profile for children and young people receiving mental health support who are transitioning to adult services. 

This was part of a project led by Healthwatch England and NHS England to develop a qualitative methodology as part of the Local Integration Index. Eight local Healthwatch piloted this methodology by focussing on particular local groups with experiences of care across several health and care services. This methodology can be used to ensure people’s experiences of integration are used by local systems to track how services are working together locally.

In this report, Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Healthwatch Peterborough look at local data, including their own, on children and young people transitioning from CYP to adult mental health services.  They also spoke to children and young people who were transitioning and local organisations involved in providing services to or supporting this group of people. 

The report concludes that a more integrated way of working is needed locally and that feedback should be sought from children and young people to evaluate current and future services. Ideally there should be a single point of access for young people to mental health services, and better navigation for option for support and treatment.  Prevention and early help should also be provided.  Finally ensuring funding for a robust healthcare workforce is crucial.