Report of the Head of Regulation and Compliance
Minutes:
The Committee considered the report of the Head of Regulation and Compliance formally presenting the final report of the Children and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) Working Group. The Committee had established the Working Group at its meeting on 12 July 2016 and the Final Report of the Working Group was attached to the report.
The majority of recommendations contained within the report were in relation to collaborative working and would require officer capacity to address. The financial funding requested had been allocated by the Government to Clinical Commissioning Groups to be spent on CAMHS. Working Group Members were seeking assurances that the money allocated in this area was spent on CAMHS.
The Terms of Reference for the Working Group had been as follows:-
· Clarify the regulatory and policy framework for commissioned CAMHS service.
· Clarify the extent of the provision of these services and ascertain the availability for Children and Young people in Sefton in terms of capacity, referrals and quantitative service data.
· Clarify the process by which referrals are expected to be made who can make a referral and how, received and the process for how the referrer is communicated with and what is communicated.
· Clarify criteria by which a referral is screened at first point of contact. This in particular to understand how risk is assessed and managed in early stage of referral to point of treatment.
· To understand the plans put in place for discharge.
· Understand the route back to support.
· Collect the experiences of Children and Young People and in particular explore the experience for Children and Young People with additional needs.
· Ascertain the beneficial outcomes that could be attributed as a result of access to commissioned CAMH services.
· Review the provision of CAMHS against the emerging Children and Young People Emotional Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
· Report to Cabinet on its findings.
Councillor Hands, Lead Member of the Working Group, presented the Working Group’s Final Report to the Committee.
Members of the Committee asked questions/raised matters on the following issues:-
· Following the previous Overview and Scrutiny review in 2010/11 on CAMHS, it was disappointing to learn that delayed waiting times for users to access services had not improved;
· Concerns were held regarding the transitional arrangements for CAMHS ages 16-19 years (25 years for Looked After Children) as they were problematic and required improvement;
· It was disappointing that no representations had been received from Head Teachers of secondary schools towards the review;
· The importance of early intervention and prevention, particularly within schools; and
· Additional information could be provided on the work being undertaken by the Integrated Commissioning Group into identifying gaps in services.
Debbie Fagan, Chief Nurse, South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group and Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), indicated that the Chief Officer of the CCGs would like to respond on the Final Report at a future date. She also emphasised that any future re-procurement of the CAMHS contract would require a formal legal process to be followed.
Members of the Working Group, together with Ruth Harrison, Democratic Services Manager, were thanked for their time and input into the review.
RESOLVED:
That the report and the following recommendations be commended to the Cabinet for approval:-
(1) the Clinical Commissioning Group for both Southport and Formby and South Sefton be requested to issue a statement to Alder Hey expressing concerns regarding all waiting times within the referral into CAMHS process and notifying them that unless improvements are made within a reasonable timescale (6 months) then notice will be given to terminate the contract;
(2) the Head of Schools and Families in consultation with the Head of Children’s Social Care be requested to investigate with all sectors of schools and colleges the feasibility of providing Emotional Health and well-being training to nominated staff working in Sefton’s Schools;
(3) the Head of Schools and Families in consultation with the Head of Children’s Social Care be requested to work with the Head Teachers Associations to investigate establishing an Emotional health and well- being mentoring scheme;
(4) the Head of Children’s Social Care in consultation with Sefton CVS, be requested to provide a comprehensive list of all voluntary and charity groups that work with emotional health and wellbeing, publishing the list on the website, the Council’s website and disseminating the information to all Schools throughout the Borough, signposting individuals to all the groups available;
(5) Merseycare be requested to investigate setting up a transitional arrangement in the Borough for outreach facilities for CAMHS ages 16 – 19 years (25 years for Looked After Children);
(6) the Head of Schools and Families in consultation with the Head of Children’s Social Care be requested to work with the Head Teachers Associations to consider incorporating Emotional Health and well-being into the Personal and Social Education Curriculum;
(7) the Head of Regulation and Compliance be requested to approach Alder House with a view to extending an invitation to all Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Children’s Services and Safeguarding) to attend a site visit to Alder House;
(8) That the Director of Social Care and Health in consultation with the Head of Children’s Social Care be requested to work in collaboration with the Clinical Commissioning Group for both Southport and Formby and South Sefton, be requested to identify and release funds to Emotional Health and well – being specifically Tier 1 and Tier 2 to invest in Early Intervention and Prevention;
(9) the Chief Officer for both South Sefton and Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Groups be requested to notify the Head of Regulation and Compliance of the re-aligned budget allocation for Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Sefton as a result of Recommendation (8) above;
(10) the Chief Officer for both South Sefton and Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Groups be invited to a future Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Children’s Services and Safeguarding) to present its budget allocation for Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Sefton;
(11) the Head of Schools and Families, in consultation with the Head of Children’s Social Care, be requested to provide an annual update in relation to the implementation of recommendations to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Children’s Services and Safeguarding); and
(12) the Cabinet be requested to refer the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services Final Report to the Health and Wellbeing Board for information and comment.