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Our key recommendations

  1. When a young person is admitted to hospital information should be provided in a way the young person can understand, including an introductory booklet about the unit, about facilities and modes of treatment, with information also being provided throughout their stay about medication, treatments offered, observation levels, and care plans.
  2. Local arrangements should be in place to ensure that education authorities are contacted to make appropriate arrangements when a young person is admitted to a non-specialist ward and where this is likely to impact on their education.
  3. NHS Boards and local authorities should review the provision of independent advocacy services and the format of information about advocacy services available to children and young people. As part of this review, consideration should be given as as to whether a specialist service may be appropriate in their area.
  4. To maximise the potential benefits of designating beds in adult wards for care and treatment of younger people NHS Boards must ensure there are systems in place to ensure ready access to support from CAMH services, clear protocols for joint working and the provision of specialist training opportunities for staff, such as that provided by theNew to CAMHS training programme.
  5. There is a need to agree clear and consistent admission and discharge criteria for all the specialist in-patient facilities, and to circulate these widely to ensure equity of access to specialist in-patient facilities across Scotland. The National In-patient Forum has started a piece of work to develop agreed and consistent criteria for the three in-patient units, for admissions and discharge planning, and we would hope that this work is completed in the near future.
  6. Different arrangements within different NHS Board areas disadvantage many young people across the country. All NHS Boards should provide CAMH services to young people up to their 18th birthday, unless clinical need indicates otherwise in a particular case.
  7. There are no in-patient beds to meet the needs of young people with learning disabilities or of young people who require treatment in IPCU units. We recommend that regional commissioning groups give consideration to providing appropriate facilities in Scotland.
  8. NHS Boards must ensure that looked after and accommodated young people placed outwith their home health board and local authority areas receive CAMHS input whenever this is necessary
  9. The MWC will revise and re-issue our guidance re admissions to non-specialist wards, and notifications; review monitoring information we request; and review how we undertake our monitoring duties generally as they relate to children and young people.