More money for youth mental health care

Mel waited four years to get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder

A charity which supports young people with mental health issues has welcomed additional government investment.

Early support hubs offer immediate help while young people wait for NHS care.

The hubs in King's Lynn, Great Yarmouth and Norwich, in Norfolk, were run by youth charity MAP.

Figures from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) show there are 606 under 18s in Norfolk and Waveney waiting for mental health care, a 58% fall from 1,437 a year ago.

Senior mental health adviser Dan Klyn said too often young people were being "batted from one place to another"

Mel, 15, from King's Lynn, waited four years for a referral for treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

She said after her GP refused to refer her to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), she connected with MAP.

Her mental health worker got her on the NHS waiting list and supported her while she waited for care.

"I waited months from the point of assessment to the point of my psychological review, but I waited years to actually get a referral.

"No-one would believe me. Without MAP, I wouldn't have got my treatment.

"I think prevention is so much better than cure and if we can deal with mental health issues before they get worse it will be so much better for young people".

Mel said she believed pressure from school was a key reason more young people were struggling with their mental health.

Chief executive Dan Mobbs said he was "not surprised" by the new funding for early support because the approach worked so well

Early support hubs were piloted by the previous Conservative government.

Labour has confirmed that the scheme will be extended and expanded.

MAP chief executive Dan Mobbs welcomed the news of more funding.

"We, along with other charities working in this area, have been pushing the government because we know that the mental health of young people has worsened," he said.

"One in five young people now have a mental health problem".

Dan Klyn, senior mental health worker at MAP's base in King's Lynn, said too often young people do not meet the threshold for NHS care because they were deemed to be "not sick enough".

"We're here for them no matter what they come in with," he added.

MAP said that while there was a waiting list of more than six months for some in-house services, young people were supported in the interim with regular meetings.

NSFT told the BBC waiting times on average were approximately five weeks for assessment, and 15 weeks for treatment.

In a statement, it said: "We are committed to delivering high-quality and timely care to children and young people in our communities.

"Waiting times for both assessment and treatment in CAMHS have significantly improved across our trust".

Mark Harrison, of the campaign group Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk, said additional investment was welcome, but added: "This doesn't detract from the need for an increase in funding for mainstream mental health beds and services."

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