Pennine Care drops Healthy Young Minds name and returns to CAMHS for children's mental health services

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust is changing the name of its Healthy Young Minds services to Pennine Care CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services)

After five years, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust has returned to using its former name for its young people’s mental health services.

Due to “confusion” surrounding the Healthy Young Minds name, Pennine has – as of Monday (25 October) – reverted to using the services’ former name, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

The service was originally renamed Healthy Young Minds in 2016 to ‘try and improve’ access as feedback at the time claimed that CAMHS had 'little meaning' and 'could be stigmatising, which could prevent those in need from accessing the service'.
 

Read more: Healthy Young Minds: New name in mental health supportPublished: 26 April 2016

However, Pennine has now decided to use its former name for the service as families, service users and healthcare professionals ‘didn’t understand’ what services were provided under the Healthy Young Minds banner or ‘couldn’t find’ them.

This means all Pennine Care’s children and young people mental health services in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Bury, Oldham, Tameside and Glossop, and Stockport – will be known as CAMHS.

Sarah Leah, associate director of operations for CAMHS, said: “Our old name Healthy Young Minds caused some confusion amongst families, children and young people who use our services as well as healthcare professionals.

“They told us they couldn’t find our services or didn’t understand what services we provide.

“Research showed that CAMHS is a more familiar description for everyone: it’s a name that is used to describe NHS children and young people’s mental health services across the country.”

Pennine Care CAMHS helps children and young people who are experiencing a range of difficulties that are impacting their mental health and emotional wellbeing; such as feelings of worry or anxiety, problems with eating, hearing voices or seeing things, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism – ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

You can find out more about Pennine Care CAMHS by visiting the new website.