Mental Health Matters: The failures of CAHMS
*This article deals with topics of suicide and self-harm which may be triggering to some readers*
Research undertaken recently by the BBC has found that at least 20 patients aged 18 or under have died in NHS or privately-run mental health care units. This numbers only increases when patients are discharged, jumping up to a further 26 deaths within a year of leaving units due to a lack of ongoing support.
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| Credit: The New York Times |
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are the main focus of the recent research, as their units look after over 4,000 young patients each year. The aim of these units are to help patients with a variety of different diagnoses to recover through specialist care; some patients are in units for weeks, others are years.
The
inquest reflects on previous data, which saw nine deaths in CAMHS wards between
2010 and 2014. Patients have criticised
the lack of proper support in units as well, with claims that nurses are not
proactive in preventing self-harm. With patients sharing self-harms tips and
objects, the units merely react to when an incident happens.
Former
patients have spoken to the BBC in regard to their discharge from CAMHS
hospitals, citing it as unsafe. Many committed serious self-harm incidents or
even attempted suicide. Parents of these discharged patients claim they acted
as a ‘suicide watch’ to ensure their child’s safety.
Editor
in Chief of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Dr Bernadka
Dubicka, claimed that CAMHS is a ‘lifeline’ for struggling young people and ‘There
are a lot of excellent staff who are really striving to do their best.’
Clearly, this is not enough as support from CAMHS staff quickly runs dry when
patients are discharged.
This
lack of support relates to ongoing fears of a decline in the mental health
sector due to a reliance on temporary or agency nurses. The BBC concluded that
between 2017 and 2021, the spending of agency nurses per bed rose by 72%. This shockingly
high number does little to highlight the real danger of temporary nurse,
meaning patients with mental health problems will struggle to connect with nurses.
Moreover, agency nurses will not understand the patient care plans designed for
individuals, leading to an unsafe environment were objects that could be
triggering or used to self-harm are brought into secure units.
According
to a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Liberal Democrats, patients
in NHS Fife, Shetland and Tayside have been waiting over 1,000 days to receive psychological
therapies. The current Scottish Government target is that 90% of patients
should start CAMHS and psychological therapies within 18 weeks of referral by
March 2023. With deaths from mental health increasing, this number is unlikely
to be achieved.
The
NHS mental health services are clearly facing a crisis with a rise of 77% in
the number of children requiring specialist treatment. Many recognise that this
has been fuelled by the pandemic. The NHS claim to have ‘invested record
amounts’ to respond to the increasing demands. In response to the BBC’s inquiry, the Department of Health and Social Care stated that it was ‘working
to recruit an additional 27,000 mental health professionals by 2024.’
The
mental health crisis will only continue to impact society unless the government
invest in the NHS mental health services. With over 5,200 suicides in England
alone last year, the country is desperate for a brighter more promising future
for those within and outside CAMHS units.