Portsmouth CAMHS reaches just under national NHS target for helping children with eating disorders

A CITY service providing treatment and support to children with eating disorders has nearly reached the national response target.
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Portsmouth Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service had 37 referrals between July 2019 and June this year, 35 of whom were seen in a week or less and two who were seen within a month.

NHS England data shows the city’s branch of CAMHS, which operates under Solent NHS Trust, saw 94.6 per cent of cases within a week, just under the 95 per cent national target.

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Richard Brown, operations director for children and families east, said: ‘Our team of dedicated clinical staff are adept in improving what can be life-threatening conditions for these children.

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‘We are committed to ensuring safe and effective care for our young people and that we offer appointments within the four-week NHS standard. The service is working hard to ensure this standard is met, including engaging with families and service users so they are quickly supported.

‘During the time between referral and appointment, the young person and their family is always able to contact the CAMHS duty clinician for support and guidance and we will always ensure that urgent appointments are available for those in most need.

During lockdown, between April and June, 87 per cent of young patients across England were seen within four weeks for routine cases, and 88 per cent within one week for urgent cases.

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This meant the NHS fell below both targets, although performance was up from 83 per cent and 78 per cent respectively a year earlier.

Tom Madders, director of campaigns at YoungMinds, said it is ‘encouraging’ that many young people were able to access eating disorder treatment during lockdown.

He added: ‘However, there is real variation across the country, with some areas already meeting the waiting times standard and others falling behind.

‘This means that some children and young people will be waiting a lot longer, with potentially devastating consequences.

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‘As we move into the next stage of the pandemic, it’s important for children and young people to have access to the right information and support.’

Any young person needing for help or advice about an eating disorder should visit their GP or go to beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

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