Mental health services delivered to children soar during pandemic
The amount of therapy for mental health delivered to children in areas of the Black Country and Staffordshire has soared since the start of the pandemic, figures reveal.
It has prompted the Royal College of Psychiatrists to warn that children and young people are at risk of lifelong mental illness due to the mental health crisis triggered by the pandemic.
Across England, the number of sessions delivered increased by 16.1 per cent to around 4 million between April 2020 and January.
NHS England data shows that 24,035 mental health treatment sessions were delivered to under 18s by NHS services in the Dudley Clinical Commissioning (CCG) area between April last year and January this year – 32.9 per cent more than the 12 months before.
It also rose by 32.2 per cent in Walsall CCG where 18,835 sessions were delivered; 6.2 per cent in Wolverhampton where 15,550 sessions took place and 1.8 per cent in Sandwell where 19,160 sessions took place.
In Staffordshire, 8,245 mental health treatment sessions were carried out in Cannock Chase – up 10.9 per cent on the previous year.
While in Stafford, it dropped by 7.5 per cent from the previous year – with 9,145 mental health treatment sessions taking place between April 2020 and January.
Health bosses in the Black Country say they have seen an increase in access for children and young people into mental health services – and have made adjustments to services on offer to reflect this.
Masood Ahmed, chief medical Officer for the Black Country and West Birmingham CCG said: “Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic the NHS has continued to deliver services to those in need including services for children struggling with their emotional mental health and wellbeing.
"We know that some people, including children will have found the last year hard and that the impact of the changes that Covid-19 has bought will be far reaching.
"There is support there for you if you need, please talk about how you are feeling with your family, friends, school and with your GP if you need to.
"Our NHS mental health support phone line is operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is available to Black Country residents of all ages on 0800 008 6516. We also have online support via www.kooth.com which has been funded to support our young people with emotional mental health and wellbeing.”
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is calling for the additional £500 million announced in the Government's mental health recovery plan last month to urgently reach the frontline – so that people can get the support they need.
Dr Bernadka Dubicka, chair of the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “As a frontline psychiatrist I’ve seen the devastating effect that school closures, disrupted friendships and the uncertainty caused by the pandemic have had on the mental health of our children and young people.
“Services were already struggling to cope with the number of children needing help before the pandemic hit, and they risk being overrun unless government ensures the promised money reaches the frontline quickly.”
Health minister Nadine Dorries said: “I am acutely aware of how difficult this pandemic has been for many, especially children and young people, and I remain absolutely committed to supporting the mental wellbeing of everyone.
“Early intervention and treatment is vital, and we are providing an extra £2.3 billion a year to mental health services, this will help an additional 345,000 children and young people access NHS-funded services or school and college-based support by 2023-24.”
