Our reaction: 10 Year Health Plan

The King’s Maudsley Partnership welcomes the commitments to prioritising children’s mental health set out in the 10 Health Plan. The plan calls for a ‘joined up’ approach to children and young people’s mental health.  It’s an urgent challenge that we all have to respond to: schools, communities, the workplace, the third sector and the NHS. It is vital that the Government has a strong evidence base for the policies and interventions implemented to deliver the plan.  

We agree that there are many opportunities for reaching more children and families than ever through effective use of public services data, better mobilisation of knowledge through digital platforms, and evidence based digital interventions.  

To achieve this the Government must bridge the gap between these technological advancements and sustaining their adoption in clinical practice, especially within the proposed integrated neighbourhood teams and Young Futures Hubs. At King’s Maudsley Partnership, our CAMHS Digital Lab have been pioneering the use of digital technology, showing how it can streamline care, in part by allowing many assessments to be done safely and securely at home. The Digital Lab is leading studies into the digital delivery of care, showing what works and what doesn’t work. Innovations such as those happening within the CAMHS Digital Lab will be crucial to the Government being able to successfully achieve its aims. 

We are pleased that the Government has reconfirmed its commitment today to expand Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in schools with an ambition of 100% coverage by 2029/30. Investing in MHSTs is a powerful tool in improving children’s mental health. King’s Maudsley Partnership is home to a leading provider of MHSTs across South London, and to those delivering its national training programme.  Our academic teams have developed and rigorously tested classroom-based workshops for young people to help them build skills to tackle stress and symptoms of depression. Such evidence-based programs are key to success.  We are keen to see a long-term plan for investing in MHSTs and the workforce delivering it to enable the Government to achieve its ambitions. 

The King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People will transform our understanding and treatment of young people’s mental health through a unique collaboration between specialist clinicians from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and leading academics at King’s College London. Learn more about us.