North East Herts MP Sir Oliver Heald is pleased to receive the news that the East & North Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group is one of 25 trailblazer areas in England to transform children and young people’s mental health services.
The NHS is uniting with schools and colleges in these areas to provide expert mental health support for up to half a million pupils a year. New Mental Health Support Teams will support a population of more than 470,000 children and young people, who will be based in and near schools and colleges, with support starting from next year. The first cohort of new staff are on track to begin their training at seven universities nationwide in January.
One in nine young people aged five to 15 had a mental health condition in 2017 and teenagers with a mental disorder are more than two and a half times more likely to have a mental disorder in adulthood.
Commenting, Sir Oliver said “I am pleased that our area is to be part of the Government’s plans to transform children and young people’s mental health through the NHS Long Term Plan.”