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Developing new services

Developing new services

NCEL CAMHS Provider Collaborative has primary responsibility for commissioning inpatient CAMHS services. Over the last two years, since October 2020, as a result of successful collaboration, we have been able to deliver significant service improvements

Young Girl reading phone on bus

These have led to a reduction in inpatient numbers and a reduction in length of hospital stays which has enabled us to reinvest resources into community services that will further impact on improved inpatient outcomes. In the last two years we have invested significant resources into the following services:

  • Eating disorder hospital at home services
  • Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) community services
  • Day Hospital Programme
  • Small Grants Programme to address Health Inequalities

DBT is an evidence-based and NICE-recommended treatment for emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD). The purpose of DBT is to help people to understand, accept and learn skills to manage difficult feelings. DBT aims to support people becoming able to make positive changes in lives.

Young people who required DBT services used to be referred to services either in south London or completely outside of London. NCEL has agreed to invest in the development of two local DBT services, one in North Central London delivered by Whittington Health, with a second service currently in development to be delivered by North East London Foundation Trust.

The total value of the schemes is £1.2M. Funding the development of local services will improve young people’s engagement with these services and in turn will reduce length of stay in hospital.

Supporting young people who are experiencing eating disorders is one of the key clinical priorities in NCEL. While admission to Specialist Eating Disorder Units can be effective, it is important to ensure that young people have robust access to community-based treatments. Keeping young people at home is likely to improve their quality of life and fits with current clinical evidence.

In FY2022/23 £1.5M was invested to the NCEL Hospital at Home Eating Disorder Services, which aims to provide therapeutic and physical health support to CYP and families in their homes, to enable them to manage their illness, resume control over eating, and stay out of hospital.

Both NCEL Strategic Health Needs Assessment and Experts by Experience engagements point out the importance of continuity of care following discharge from CAMHS inpatient services. In 2022/23 NCEL invested £390,000 in a Day Hospital Programme at the Beacon Centre CAMHS inpatient unit.

The programme of delivery was co-produced by community CAMHS, inpatient services, education, social care, service users and their families. The programme was operationlaised in February 2023 The Day Hospital Programme offers a seamless integrated pathway for young people stepping down from the inpatient setting and returning to the community.

In 2022/23 we partnered with Compass Well Being, and invested £1.5M in a programme of Small Grants for the Voluntary Community Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector in order to promote initiatives in our local communities to reduce hospital admissions and address health inequalities.

We were overwhelmed by the response of local organisations wanting to work with us with a shared aim of increasing access to services and improving outcomes for children and young peoples’ well-being. We look forward to building on this relationship in 2023/24 to further develop our work around addressing health inequalities.

"I think the Collaborative is doing a good job of thinking of different ways that they can improve both for the parents and the young people."

Parent