Rochdale children and young people’s mental health service one of the best in country

Children and young people in Rochdale waited two weeks from their referral being received to beginning treatment - four times faster than the national average

Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in Rochdale, run by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, has been rated one of the best in the country for children and young people accessing its services during 2018-2019.

The NHS benchmarking is an annual comparison of 93 services across the country to see how they score for different measurements like referrals and waiting times. The service, made up of Healthy Young Minds and #Thrive, scored above the national average for key measurements that show children and young people in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale are able to access mental health services quickly when they need it and in larger numbers than other areas.

In Rochdale, significantly more children and young people are accessing services with 56.9% receiving treatment (according to the annual strategic data collection service) compared with 44.7% in Greater Manchester and 36.1% in England.

The services also had the highest number of referrals received (per 100,000 children and young people) in the country with more than double the national average and scored third in the country for the amount of patients accepted for treatment; again more than double the national average.

Children and young people in Rochdale waited, on average, two weeks from their referral being received to beginning treatment which is four times faster than the national average of eight weeks.

Speaking about the news, Dr Nojrul Chowdhury, one of the lead consultants for CAMHS in Pennine Care, said: “The staff in our services have worked very hard to improve the service and make sure children and young people receive the best possible care.

“Together we’ve created an environment that’s good for our patients and our staff and this shines through in these figures.”