A shocking statistic has emerged this week – with not enough cash reaching children’s mental health services, up to a quarter of youngsters in need of help are being turned away.
I know there isn’t an endless pot of money out there but this is a very worrying piece of news about an essential part of the NHS that really shouldn’t be overlooked.
The trouble with mental and emotional health problems is that they are not largely visible – if you see a child with a broken leg, there is an element of shock and of course they would be rushed to hospital for treatment. However, a child with a mental health issue may look, on the outside, perfectly okay.
However, I have seen up close just how important child mental health services really are. A friend of mine had a young child who was basically extremely anxious and depressed and suffering from a number of different disorders relating to this.
I watched as the child was given great support and help from mental health teams over a number of months and they helped the child turn into a completely different person, basically turning their life around.
Without that help, I have no doubt that child would have had a very, very different future. They may well have cost the NHS a lot more money over the years as well.
So, without getting too political here in terms of spending cuts, let’s not forget what a valuable service the children’s mental health teams are providing and how much this area of the NHS really is helping to prevent worse problems for the future.