Children and young people in North West London are now much less likely to be admitted to a mental health ward – instead most are now cared for outside of hospital – with only 5% of children presenting to CAMHS in crisis going on to be admitted to Tier 4 inpatient care.

Key achievements of the partnership include:

• A 40% admissions reduction on pre-pandemic levels, with ongoing admission-trend reduction.
• A 31% length of stay improvement in general adolescent wards despite reduced admission numbers, meaning only the most acutely unwell young people will be on a ward.
• An 18% reduction in crises requiring CAMHS intervention – the increase in presentations seen during the pandemic has been reversed, with the most recent yearly numbers now below pre-pandemic levels.

Mental health issues among children and adolescents have been a growing concern, with many young people facing prolonged inpatient stays and limited access to appropriate community-based care

Richard Lyle, Head of Commissioning & Contracting West London NHS Trust/the NWL CAMHS Provider Collaborative, stated, “By consolidating the collaborative’s scattered data and presenting it in a unique and user-friendly fashion, we now have the tools at our fingertips needed to work with clinicians and system partners to put resources where they will have the biggest impact improve our young people’s experience of care and deliver bold but evidence based change.”