NHS England has launched a new framework for mental health social work which aims to tackle the gaps in care and postcode lottery associated with mental health service provision. The new framework will reduce bureaucracy and administration as well as funding the recruitment of 600 additional social workers.
A key aim of the new framework is to bring together mental health services provided by primary care trusts and community care practitioners. Currently, the system requires referrals and assessments between the two groups adding stress for patients, causing delays in treatment and increasing administration costs.
Carla Fourie, associate director for social care, partnerships and equality at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust said, “We’re looking at things like whether we will need more social workers based in hospitals to help with discharges and out of area placements so they can be treated closer within their own locality,”
Importantly for those of us involved in children’s services 170 of the new social work posts will be social workers specifically recruited to work with children and young people. While this averages roughly only one per NHS trust it will at least start to address the gaps in care and treatment we observe on a daily basis working with young people presenting with mental health issues. Children and Family work across a number of NHS trust areas and witness the different ways individual trusts deal with child mental health. It is fair to say that some offer a good and effective service but equally fair to comment that others are woefully inadequate.
“We really want people to have better outcomes and experiences in the system and have that network for support within the community,” Fourie said. I think we would all support this ambition.