Help us shape community mental health services
Birmingham residents invited to help shape community mental health services for children and young adults.
Health commissioners and the Local Authority in Birmingham are working together to improve mental health services for children and young adults across the city.
Birmingham South Central Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has joined forces with Birmingham CrossCity CCG, Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG and Birmingham City Council to call on local people to have their say on future plans.
Feedback from past and present users of mental health services suggest that current services can be fragmented, difficult to access and confusing to use.
Health commissioners aim to address the issues by procuring a brand new service for children and young adults up to 25 years of age. They are undertaking a three-month consultation to gather views from everyone including service users, carers, clinicians and service providers. The new service will aim to provide a full range of treatments and work more closely with families, schools, colleges, universal provision and GPs to support young people earlier.
People are being invited to comment on what the service should look like, how best to join it up and how it should be delivered. To get involved, people can:
- Visit www.bhamsouthcentralccg.nhs.uk/0-25-mental-health-services to find details of open events and fill out a survey
- E-mail admin@birminghamnewsroom.com
- Write to the Mental Health Procurement Team c/o Maternity, Children and Young People's Commissioning Team, Bartholomew House, 142 Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 9PA
Dr Diane Reeves, a qualified GP and Chief Accountable Officer for Birmingham South Central CCG, said: “We are aware of the issues around the current provision and we want to completely change the way we deliver mental health services to young people in Birmingham. As well as reducing the stigma around mental health, services must support children and young people to live a full and independent life. We particularly encourage young people to give us their views and help us decide what services we should commission in the future.”
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Media Enquiries: mediacsu@nhs.net Telephone 0121 612 3888
Notes to editors
- Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) took over the responsibility of commissioning health services on 1 April 2013 as part of the Government's plans for the NHS under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The groups, which are led by doctors and nurses, work together to manage their local budgets and buy health services for patients direct with other NHS colleagues and local authorities. By being in charge of the decisions that affect their patients, the CCGs are able to commission quality care that is tailored to meet the specific needs of their patients and the wider community.
- The outline plans for Mental Health Services are in line with the 'No Health without Mental Health' Government strategy of 2011
- Many mental health problems start early in life. Half of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14, and three-quarters by their mid-20s
- This initiative aligns to the 'Closing the Gap' document published by the Department of Health and launched by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP in January 2014
