Rochdale mental health service ranked third best in country

Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) logo

A local children's mental health service has been ranked third in the country by the annual Children’s Commissioner report on children’s mental health services in England.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust’s child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), which covers Heywood, Middleton, and Rochdale, scored 23 out of a possible 25.

The report aims to assess children’s ability to access Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) in England in 2020/21 based on data from NHS Digital and NHS England.

A summary score is given to each Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) based on five key indicators of CYPMHS performance. The score aims to provide an overall indication of how each CCG compares to the rest of England in terms of children’s access to mental health services. The five key indicators are:

1. CCG spending on children’s mental health as a percentage of total CCG allocation
2. Mental health spend per child - calculated using NHS Five Year Forward View for Mental Health spending figures and ONS mid 2020 CCG population estimates
3. Total number of children referred to children’s mental health services as a proportion of the under-18 population
4. The percentage of referrals that are closed before treatment
5. Average waiting time for children who receive a second contact

Jennifer O’Neill, child and adolescent mental health services operational manager in Rochdale, said: “All our staff are extremely proud to have been ranked in the country’s top three. Mental health really is everyone’s business in Rochdale borough, whether that’s traditional mental health services such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), services in schools and colleges, social care providers or voluntary sector providers who have a real emphasis on emotional wellbeing.

“This cooperation between services means we can work together to keep improving the work we do. Rochdale is extremely lucky to have strong relationships and investment from their commissioning providers, who share our vision to provide high-quality mental health support to our children and young people.

“The last two years have been extremely difficult for many and the impact on young people’s mental health in particular has been immense. In Rochdale, our awareness and ability to be adaptable to young people’s needs has developed quickly and we continue to support their needs through innovation, determination and a can-do attitude.

“We hope to build on our success and continue improving in the future.”