Child mental health services creaking

VERY real fears about the impact of the current financial crisis; gaps in services; a lack of cooperation between agencies; and a lack of crisis solutions — these are the challenges facing our child and adolescent mental health services, according to a new report commissioned by the Mental Health Commission.

Although carried out to look at the specific issue of why young people are admitted to adult units, its author, Dr Sally Bonnar, a Scottish consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, provides a unique insight to the provision and running of the services.

Although the report finds serious difficulties around extending services from the age of 16 to 18 by the end of next year, Dr Bonnar recommends timelines for reducing admissions of patients under the age of 18 years to adult units should not be changed.