Written question WQ99197

Our 10-year Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy outlines how we will improve access to mental health support for all ages. This includes transforming our mental health services to provide same-day access and puts early intervention, prevention and person-centred care at the heart of mental health services, ensuring people are referred to the most appropriate form of support at the right time, without delay.

NHS Performance and Improvement have established Open Access Same Day Mental Health Support Front Door pilots across a number of demonstrator sites, including CAMHS. The Quality Statement for Mental Health has been published and sets out the outcomes and standards that define high-quality, person-focused services across health and social care. The Strategy and quality statement set out our expectations for all-age mental health services, including for children and young people

Health boards have also established alternatives to admissions for young people who present in crisis and we continue to learn from these pilots to inform future models of care.

Where a patient presents with urgent mental health concerns, GP practices ensure that the person is responded to promptly and directed to the most appropriate support, including escalation to a clinician or, where necessary, emergency or crisis services in line with local pathways. This includes awareness of wider self-help with the aim of preventing those with a mental health related need requiring specialist care but also supporting people while they wait for intervention to start.