Agenda item

Joint report

The following representatives have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item:

Simon Gilby, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT)

Matt Gilks, Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

Jed Francique, CWPT

A request has been received from a member of the public concerning the Adult Neurodevelopment Diagnostic Pathway, Briefing Notes of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator and Catherine Rigney, Coventry and Rugby CCG are attached

The Board considered a joint report which highlighted the progress made during the last twelve months with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Transformation Plan. The report detailed both the achievements and the challenges during this period and the ongoing work to improve the CAMHS system of support for children and young people. Matt Gilks, Coventry and Rugby CCG and Simon Gilby and Jed Francique, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT) attended the meeting for the consideration of this item. The Board also received briefing notes of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator and Coventry and Rugby CCG concerning a request from a member of the public concerning the Adult Neurodevelopment Diagnostic Pathway.

The report also provided a reminder of the tiers of the CAMHS system; provided an update on the national and local policy context; highlighted the findings of the recent CQC inspection and detailed the action being taken in response; and set out the priorities for Year 3 of the transformation programme. 

The Board were informed that over the last twelve months progress had been made in the following areas:

·  Implementing the new ASD pathway for school-aged children, including the ongoing development of the Dimensions Tool;

·  Delivery of support in schools particularly through the enhanced Primary Mental Health offer and the positive outcomes that this has delivered. 

·  Ongoing development of the community Eating Disorders service;

·  Maintaining referral to treatment waiting times, with strengthened arrangements to reduce follow-up waits;

·  Procuring additional clinical capacity via an independent provider to offset recruitment challenges, which reflect the national picture;

·  Launch of the new, integrated CAMHS LAC  service, with consultation & advice to Social Workers;

·  Launch of a new website;

·  Positive feedback from service users, e.g. reflected in many areas of the Experience of Service User Questionnaires.

The key next steps for the CAMHS programme were:

·  Monitoring the specific action already taken to address the issues raised in the Care Quality Commission inspection;

·  Ongoing waiting list management action to address all key waits, particularly CAMHS follow-up waits and ASD  assessment waits;

·  Ongoing work to make “early help” available through a range of means, including online support, telephone advice & consultation and pre-assessment groups;

·  Workforce planning and development, including ongoing recruitment and retention work;

·  Developing a tier 3.5 service business case, to provide additional, integrated support for young people presenting in crisis situations;

·  Further developing the service for Looked After Children;

The Board questioned the officers and representatives on a number of issues and responses were provided, matters raised included:

·  The frustrations from Head Teachers and teachers regarding their dealings with CAMHS

·  Clarification about the issues raised by the CQC inspection including the safeguarding policy; the lack of key performance indicators; the mixed staff morale; and governance of the service

·  Reference to the establishment of a joint Scrutiny Boards (2) and (5) Task and Finish Group on CAMHS providing opportunities to work with the partner representatives

·  Reference to the Green Paper and the future proposals for schools including having a trained mental health person in each individual school

·  Clarification about the waiting times for CAMHS and proposals for improvements including targets

·  The importance of bringing in improvements at pace

·  Concerns about the growing demands for the service, the increasing complexity of cases and the problems associated with the recruitment and retention of staff

·  Further details about the problems being experienced in individuals schools

·  Clarification about the funding of CAMHS across the partnership

·  The importance of Coventry’s work with schools to be highlighted as a trail blazer for the pilot scheme arising from the Green paper

·  The importance of strong partnership working to be able to deal with all the CAMHS issues.

The Board noted that Scrutiny had received a request from a member of the public which stated ‘I would like the process of adults being assessed and diagnosed for autism to be clearer and more promoted. It is quite clear for children but a minefield for adults’. The briefing note from the CCG outlined the pathway and included information on local data; eligibility criteria; referral routes; and the promotion of the service. 

RESOLVED that:

(1) The content of the report including the achievements and the challenges faced by CAMHS, the ongoing work to improve the system and the key next steps for the programme be noted.

(2) Arrangements be put in place to establish a joint Scrutiny Boards (2) and (5) CAMHS Task and Finish Group with the remit of looking into the social, emotional and mental health issues in schools, meeting with the appropriate lead officers, lead members, Head Teacher representatives, the partner health organisations and clinicians.

(3) Details of all the strands of CAMHS funding setting out how all the services are funded across the partnership be circulated to members.

(4) All the partner organisations working in the CAMHS service be requested to make every effort to increase the work with local schools.

(5) The link to the ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’ Green paper be shared with Board members providing the opportunity for the Board to make comment on the paper as well as members feeding back any views from their perspective as school governors.

(6) Arising from the request from a member of the public concerning the process and promotion of the Adult Neurodevelopment Diagnostic Pathway, the content of the briefing note from the CCG be noted.