Referrals for child mental health services in Sefton have soared since the pandemic.
The eating disorder service at Alder Hey Children's Hospital has seen referrals almost triple since 2019 with more of those children presenting at a higher physical risk than those being referred before the pandemic. Paediatric admissions have also seen a substantial rise, with a 366% increase in acute admissions recorded between 2019 and 2021.
Children are also staying longer than previously when being admitted for acute eating disorders, with patients spending on average 16 days in hospital at Alder Hey. The huge increase in demand for help from young people has led to an expansion of Alder Hey’s services for children with eating disorders and other acute and ongoing mental health needs.
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Across all other aspects of children’s mental health services in Sefton, as elsewhere in the UK, there has been similar upsurges in referrals about children in distress, presenting with more complex and acute situations than before.
Referral rates to public sector CAHMS services and third party young people’s counselling have both risen substantially since 2019, according to a report discussed by councillors at a meeting of Sefton Council last night, March 16.
According to the report, produced by children and young peoples commissioning lead for South Sefton and Southport & Formby CCGs Peter Wong, the situation has placed huge strain on already challenged services, which in turn has impacted upon waiting times for access to services for children in distress.
In terms of inpatient mental health beds for young people in Sefton, the report states that demand “has escalated during the pandemic and there is a nationally recognised acute shortage, resulting in some young people with significant mental health needs being ‘stuck’ in acute beds and/or more frequently being placed ‘out of area’.
“Similarly, there are also insufficient specialist placements and/ or specialist community provision/support for when young people are ready for discharge, so delayed discharges can also be a common issue.”
Speaking at a meeting of Sefton Council’s children’s services and safeguarding overview and scrutiny committee, Mr Wong said: “We have seen unprecedented and unplanned an sustained increase in demand urgent and high risk cases and cases with more complexity than seen pre-covid.
“Early on [in the pandemic] there were estimates of around a 15% increase,, since then they’ve modelled and what we are seeing is more like a 30% increase in demand for services.
“Play that out over the whole country over the next three to five years and you are looking at possibly a million and a half more children need to access services than pre pandemic.”
He said that recently there has been a “significant” investment from central government in children’s mental health services, which has enabled the expansions of services across the borough to tackle the issue.
Councillor Veronica Webster said: “I’m delighted to hear about the additional investment as that is what we’ve been waiting for for years and years.” but questioned the problems of short -staffing for key services.
Responding, director of community and mental health at Alder Hey Hospital Dr Lisa Cooper said: “While at Alder Hey we are at present fully staffed, we are always looking a ways new ways to recruit and retain, it’s about attracting people to work in the NHS and it really is one of our biggest challenges”
