Healthwatch in Greater Manchester are aware that there has been an increased demand for child and adolescent mental health services to assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.
Healthwatch in Greater Manchester understand through patient experiences, shared with our local offices, that this uplift in demand has impacted waiting times for children and young people to receive initial assessment by an NHS professional.
To understand the impact of this issue, Healthwatch in Greater Manchester have launched a research project to obtain the experiences of parents, carers and young people who have accessed, or a trying to access child and adolescent mental health services.
This research will also review experiences from health and care professionals who are faced with pressures of the increasing numbers of children and young people who seek their help whilst they continue to provide the highest quality of care.
Heather Etheridge, Healthwatch in Greater Manchester, Independent Chair said:
“Children and families having access to support, at the time they need it, is so important to us at Healthwatch. We want to ensure their experience and voice is heard across the whole of Greater Manchester (GM) and this joint project will allow us to do this.”
The findings of this research will be made available to the public and will used to inform NHS decision-makers to support system wide learning.
To share your experience, please follow the links below:
Parents/Carers: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/04XCJG/
Children and young people: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/5AOYF6/
Professionals: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/JO28WR/
About Local Healthwatch
Healthwatch Rochdale is the independent consumer champion for health and social care, representing the patient and public's voice in Rochdale. It helps to shape and improve local health and social care for local people and their communities. Healthwatch Rochdale is part of the Healthwatch national network, established by the Government to ensure local patients and users have a greater input to shaping and designing local services. To find out more go to www.healthwatchrochdale.org.uk
About Healthwatch England
Healthwatch England is the independent consumer champion for health and social care in England. The organisation has independent statutory powers, as stated in the Health and Social Care Act 2012, to ensure the consumer’s voice is heard and best practice is delivered in health and social care nationally. Healthwatch is also focused on providing leadership, guidance and support to the development of the Healthwatch network. To find out more please go to www.healthwatch.co.uk
About Healthwatch in Greater Manchester:
Healthwatch is a local and national health and social care champion, established and funded in each local authority area in England. There are 10 local Healthwatch in Greater Manchester who have come together to work as a network called Healthwatch in Greater Manchester.
