Transforming Mental Health services for Children and Young People to save young lives
Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Associate National Clinical Director for Children & Young Peoples’s Mental Health and Chair of CRG, NHS England & Improvement, Honorary Professor, Manchester Metropolitan University
Prathiba is a Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry working in a large mental health and learning disability trust in Greater Manchester (Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust). Lead consultant since 2005, she became Clinical Director in 2015 and subsequently Associate National Clinical Director for Children and Young People’s Mental Health in 2017 and Chair of the Tier 4 CYPMH Clinical Reference Group in 2019 (NHS England and NHS Improvement). She has an interest in the mental health and neurodevelopmental needs of children and young people in contact with the criminal justice system. Over the last 13 years she has published in peer reviewed journals and books and contributed to national reports and guidance. She continues to be research active as a Visiting Chair (Manchester Metropolitan University) and has been involved in a number of regional and national transformation programmes.
Prathiba said at the conference this morning: "It has been proven that those who self harm have an increased risk of suicide – 50 % of girls with mental health problems self harm and 31% of boys. There are 200 suicides per year of young people aged between 10 and 19, it is more common in males than females, but there is concern that there has been an increase in females. There isn’t a single risk factor. How do we intervene much earlier before crisis point. Increasing awareness - ‘Online vigilance, awareness education in schools. Its so important to undertake a through assessment and to be compassionate and vigilant. Often young people are communicating how they are feeling through self harm. There is lots of extra funding coming for the next 10 years, increasing access to services"
Full PowerPoint Presentation
Implementing the Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention Competence Framework for Children & Young People
Dr Esther Sabel, Member, Children and Young People Expert Reference Group, Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention Competence Framework, Consultant at CAMHS Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team, Hertfordshire Adolescent Outreach Team, South Hertfordshire CAMHS
Esther is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who completed her specialist training at the Tavistock Clinic, London. Since then, she has been providing clinical leadership to the CAMHS Crisis Team in Hertfordshire, working on the front line, treating young people and their families, within the acute hospital setting, typically following self-harm or suicide attempts. She has an interest in multi-agency work, paediatric liaison and policy work. She was one of the authors of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Guidance on Management of Self Harm in Young People in 2014. She was also a member of the Expert Reference Group for the recent National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) competency framework for self- harm and suicide prevention in children and young people. She has presented at a number of conferences on Self harm and crisis management for young people.
In her early career, following graduating from Manchester Medical School, she has worked as a junior doctor in the Emergency Department in both London and Sydney, as well as in other medical and surgical specialties, prior to training in psychiatry.
Esther said: "We need to adopt a compassionate and respectful attitude – suicidal and/or self harming is a reflection of high levels of psychological distress. Assessment/Intervention is so important – You need to find out why have they attempted suicide now. Then you need to do something about it.
Tasks of an assessment are to - Find out the cause and address that:
- Increase the family’s anxiety if too low
- Reduce the family’s anxiety if too high
- Interventions to reduce self harming
- Treatments for depression and anxiety are several and are effective"
Suicide and neurodevelopmental disorders: Early intervention and resilience
Dr Girish Vaidya, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Associate Medical Director, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Associate Clinical Director, NHS Sheffield CCG/Sheffield City Council (CYP Portfolio)
Dr Vaidya trained across India and the UK and is currently a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist working with young offenders and those Looked After by the state. He has a particular interest in neurodevelopmental disorders and the impact it has on a person’s vulnerability to suicide. He is also the Associate Medical Director at Sheffield Childrens NHS Foundation Trust and an Associate Clinical Director with NHS Sheffield CCG and Sheffield City Council. Latterly, he has been appointed as Clinical Lead for Yorkshire and Humber Operational Delivery Network for Autism and Learning Disability.
Dr Vaidya will bring forth his clinical experience and explore the need to move from risk assessment to resilience assessments for vulnerable groups of children and young people.