North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust has adopted a digital portal to support young people with mental health services.
Using DXC Open Health Connect platform, the tool supports a streamlined, digital approach to refer and triage patients to the most appropriate service for them, and provides access to an extensive range of informational resources.
The portal, https://combinedwellbeing.org.uk/home/young-people/ enables young people to access information about mental health and well being, and provides the option to self-refer by completing an online form: https://
It provides young people with access to information on a range of mental health and wellbeing topics, including feelings such as being anxious or angry, bullying, mental health wellbeing, school life to eating problems.
The supplier and trust are developing a blueprint from the project, with an aim for wider adoption, that could support reduction in mental health referral times.
Julia Ford, Clinical Lead for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust “This is about getting children to the right professional or right information first time, and much faster. At present, seven in 10 referrals to CAMHS are subsequently signposted to external organisations, whilst many young people are forced to wait up to 14 weeks to be seen.”
“We are redesigning and connecting services to change that, to remove lengthy processes traditionally associated with referrals, and using technology so we can intelligently refer and triage patients to the most appropriate service for them.”
David Hewitt, Chief Information Officer, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, said “This development has real potential to reduce avoidable harm and transform lives for young people across North Staffordshire, and potentially across the rest of the country. No child should have to wait for mental health care provision – and this new approach is empowering patients to call on that help when they need it through technology which is intuitive for them.”
“Whether it’s a professional at the trust, or a specialist in the third sector, we now have the tools to get young people to the person who is best placed to help them faster than ever before. And when children arrive, professionals are now much better equipped with detailed information from the child and the people who know them best, so that the first appointment can be about treatment rather than information gathering. This is enormously powerful.”
Information on the online portal can be accessed by anyone who has a question about mental wellbeing. The project analysed real-life CAMHS interactions and has involved extensive collaboration with schools, young people, families and mental health professionals.
