Liverpool has a comprehensive CAMHS pathway that supports varying levels of need. This is delivered by a partnership of providers across the NHS and the voluntary and community sector (VCS). The partnership provides evidence-based practice as recommended by NICE guidance, and also encourages innovation within safe and governed environments.
Liverpool has a comprehensive CAMHS pathway that supports varying levels of need. This is delivered by a partnership of providers across the NHS and the voluntary and community sector (VCS). The partnership provides evidence-based practice as recommended by NICE guidance, and also encourages innovation within safe and governed environments.
Access
The Liverpool CAMHS Partnership has a Central Referral Point with a consultation telephone line. The partnership also uses the mental health passport for children and young people, with information sharing agreements across services. Self-referrals are accepted and there is a drop-in facility through the Young Person Advisory Service (YPAS) and mental health hubs, with evening opening hours.
The partnership also provides pre-referral consultations and support in children’s centres, schools, youth outreach services, social care teams, foster carers, residential homes and in primary care. It uses the Early Help Assessment Tool (EHAT) to enable a whole family assessment of need to be reviewed and delivered as soon as required.
The partnership is also working to engage children and young people, and their families and carers within vulnerable groups such as refugee and asylum seekers, traveller communities, young carers and black and minority ethnic (BME) populations.
Co-production and support for families and carers
All commissioned providers work within and promote the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the participation standards agreed as part of CYP IAPT. All providers undertake an annual audit of participation and engagement. There is a CAMHS participation lead who support and co-ordinates participation, involvement and engagement across the CAMHS partnership.
The service uses individual provider forums that include children, young people and their families and carers to help shape services. The partnership also provides peer mentoring and community networks and champions for parents and carers.
Collaborative working
Liverpool CAMHS Partnership provides dedicated sessions from a CAMHS practitioner in every children centre and school in Liverpool (primary and secondary). There is also a dedicated CAMHS practitioner in further education colleges, provided by YPAS. The partnership delivers resilience building and mental health promotion workshops to schools and is piloting dedicated sessions from a CAMHS practitioner in primary care.
Transitions of care for complex cases are discussed in dedicated meetings between Fresh CAMHS, Mersey Care and social care. There is a joint transition protocol between Alder Hey Fresh CAMHS and Mersey Care Adult Mental Health Service.
Outcome monitoring
All providers within the partnership are quality assured and have data sharing agreements in place. All providers use Child Outcomes Research Consortium (CORC) validated measures and routine outcome measures (ROMS). YPAS is the first CAMHS provider to become CORC accredited. The partnership is piloting a data linkage system between the Seedlings Programme delivered in partnership by YPAS and PSS (Person Shaped Services) and primary schools to look at the effect of the Seedlings Programme interventions on attendance.
What makes Liverpool CAMHS partnership an example of positive practice?
Liverpool commissions an integrated CAMHS offer which is delivered in partnership by VCS providers and NHS (child and adult). The model has been recognised as an example of national good practice and it informed the development of Future in Mind.
Outcomes demonstrating the effectiveness of the partnership include:
Further details
| Commissioning | Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group | ||||||||||
| Providers | Alder Hey Fresh CAMHS; Young Person’s Advisory Service; PSS Spinning World; ADHD Foundation; Merseyside Youth Association; ADDvanced Solutions; Barnardos Young Carers; Bullybusters; Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||||
| Workforce (whole-time equivalent) | 18.4 psychiatrists; 1 general practitioner; 12 clinical psychologists; 23.9 psychotherapists; 3.1 other trained therapist or counsellor; 2.8 family therapists; 2.6 art therapist; 0.9 learning disabilities nurse; 2 mental health nurse; 20.1 managers and administration staff; 52.1 other. | ||||||||||
| Population size | All ages – 484,578, under 26 – 170,655 (Office of National Statistics 2016 mid-year population estimates for Liverpool) | ||||||||||
| Age | 0-25 years | ||||||||||
| Caseload | The service receives approximately 4500 referrals a year. Approximately 11000 children and young people are seen yearly across the whole pathway. The average length of time on an active caseload is variable depending on the provider. | ||||||||||
| Prevention and resilience – universal and early intervention for at risk | Specific specialist assessments e.g. ADHD | In-reach, inpatient and residential | |||
| Access and advice – consultation lines, triage and signposting | Scheduled care | Crisis | |||
| Early support and brief interventions | |||||
| Biopsychosocial assessment | Intensive interventions |
