The Trust is leading the way with transforming childrens mental health services across the area after becoming a ânew model of care for children and young peoples mental healthâ pilot site.
We are one of two sites chosen by NHS England to take on new commissioning powers for children and young people’s tertiary mental health services.
The aim of the Trust’s new model of care is to deliver inpatient care for children and young people as close to home as possible and wherever possible preventing and avoiding inpatient admissions and reducing the length of admission when it is required.
Commenting on the pilot Brent Kilmurray, TEWV chief operating officer, said: “We will be able to achieve our aims by strengthening our community services. We were one of the first Trusts in the country to have a child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) crisis team. Our first team started in Durham and Darlington in 2014 and in 2015 we introduced our Tees CAMHS crisis service.
“Both services have had a significant impact on the care we are able to provide for children and young people, as well as a significant reduction in the need for inpatient admissions. Through these services we have been able to extend the care we provide in a community setting, which in turn supports children and young people to stay at home.”
As part of its ‘new model of care’ plans the Trust is implementing a crisis and intensive home treatment model across North Yorkshire and The Vale of York in order to provide specialised community care to children and young people in these areas. It is hoped that services will be in place by the end of this Summer (2017). They will also be strengthening their community services with the introduction of an intensive home treatment model in Durham and Darlington and Teesside.
This new approach will allow more young people to receive care at home, without the need to be admitted. Where admission is necessary TEWV will attempt to provide young people with a bed much closer to home that previously available.
Jose Mediavilla, TEWV consultant psychiatrist,said: “It’s never ideal for people to be receiving care far away from their families and friends. We want families to play an active part in the recovery and care of the young people we support and helping them to stay at home, or as close to home as possible is really important.
“By reducing the amount of time people are spending as inpatients, we can free up the space for others who might need it and who previously may have had to travel a further distance because of limited availability.”
Claire Murdoch, National Mental Health Director, NHS England added: “This is brilliant news. It will mean young people who require mental healthcare will now be able to receive better care closer to home. Importantly it also means their families and friends will no longer have to travel long distances to see them.
The ‘new model of care’ pilot is part of NHS England’s ‘Five Year Forward View for Mental Health’. The Trust, which covers County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire and The Vale of York, will work with partners from nine clinical commissioning groups and two (NHSE) specialised commissioning hubs to implement its proposed new model of care over a two year period.