Young people's views of the transition to adult mental health services

Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group have already found that children and young people who require transition to adult services have experienced persistent difficulties in receiving care that is continuous, efficient, clear and supportive. Instead, many young people and staff have highlighted that transitionary care becomes disjointed, confusing, or disappears altogether during this period. Addressing these pathway gaps and challenges is now a priority for the Northamptonshire system. In this project Healthwatch Northamptonshire sought to hear from a group of children and young people to discover their thoughts, views and experiences of the transition between CYP mental health services (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – CAMHS), to adult mental health services – how it felt, how it worked or didn’t work, and how it could be improved. They ran focus groups and interviews, speaking to 10 young people.

The young people all struggled with the transition from CAMHS to adult mental health service, with some experiencing a decline in their mental health and physical health, exacerbated by the stress of the process. They felt abandoned, unsettled, and confused and found the process stressful

Most found that the written information they were given was overwhelming and too much for them to take in while they were experiencing a crisis. The young people did not feel listened to and would have preferred to have more discussions about their care and more options. “All would have preferred more face-to-face meetings to explain the process and available services to them. Being able to have more time to discuss what was happening would have helped them process the changes and develop important relationships with the new services.

They told of examples of poor communication between children’s and adult service, and it was felt that there should be a better handover and that services should work together more closely. “

Some of the young people had found particular services helpful, including the information hub, crisis cafes and sessions run by Mind – although they may not have had to use them if there had been a better transition to adult community services, resulting in them not reaching a point of crisis. Four of the young people had accessed private therapy, and all found it more beneficial. The therapists had more time for them, and they could build relationships without being limited by the number of sessions.

The young people we spoke to had not yet left care but were all over the age of 16. Two of the young people felt they had control of their own health, but one would have liked more control. Two told us how their personal assistants or social workers helped them manage their health. The young people had some understanding of how to access general physical and mental health services and support, although had limited experience of doing so and did not have detailed knowledge of local services, such as mental health support. This implies that more could be done to explain the range of services available to them if they need them once they leave care.

The report contains ten recommendations.