MEDIA RELEASE 

Children and young people in Surrey to benefit from innovative new mental health services

Tomorrow, 1 April 2016, Surrey’s mental health and learning disability services for children and young people are changing for the better.

A new partnership model of care, called Mindsight Surrey CAMHS and led by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, will deliver a wider range of support to more children and young people with the aim of reaching them before they become seriously unwell through early intervention and prevention services.

Fiona Edwards, Chief Executive, said:

“At Surrey and Borders, we are incredibly proud to be leading an innovative partnership of 15 national and local voluntary, statutory and private providers, all of whom have proven track records in delivering services to children and young people. With an almost 30% increase in funding, we are both excited and confident that the service will bring much wider benefits to the mental health and well-being of Surrey’s children and young people.”

Surrey’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups – which plan and buy local services – and Surrey County Council have invested an extra £2.3 million to improve the services. Greater resources were identified following a period of extensive public engagement undertaken between July 2014 – October 2014.

The increased funding has allowed the Trust to provide new treatment pathways designed to enable children and young people to access services at an earlier stage and extend its reach to vulnerable groups such as those young people who are leaving care or who have suffered sexual trauma. The partnership model provides, for example, not only services to meet the complex needs of young people, but also early support in a variety of ways, including guided self-help and online counselling.

An important new development is a Behaviour and Neurodevelopment service, which is specifically designed to provide information, advice, guidance and treatment for children, young people and their families, for example, following a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

One of the key changes to the way services are provided is the creation of a single point of contact for referrals to Mindsight Surrey CAMHS and booking of appointments (0300 222 5755). This is open 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings, and will take referrals from health, education and social care practitioners and provide advice to young people and their families.This is managed by our partner, Beacon UK, and will ensure that those being referred are in contact with the right service and get the appropriate level of treatment and support.

Another key partner in providing this service is Relate West Surrey, who will offer specialist services for groups of children aged six upward.