Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been chosen as the preferred bidder for the new Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) contract across Wiltshire, Swindon and Bath & North East Somerset. The announcement follows a competitive tendering process.
Oxford Health currently provides the CAMH services across the area – which is the ‘footprint’ of the Sustainability & Transformation Plan (STP). Their services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes. They focus on delivering care as close to home as possible
As a leading teaching, training and research trust, Oxford Health have close links to Oxford, Oxford Brookes, Buckinghamshire, Reading and Bath universities. They are part of the Oxford Academic Health Science Centre, working closely with university colleagues to translate findings into clinical care as quickly as possible.
The new contract for a re-designed CAMHS will run from April 2018.
A series of consultation activities will take place between now and June. These will enable parents & carers, children & young people and health, education & social care professionals to help shape how the new service is delivered.
Details of these events will be available on council and CCG websites nearer the time. But members of the public wishing to have their say can email their thoughts to voiceandinfluenceteam@witlshire.g.v.uk putting ‘CAMHS’ in the subject line.
Commenting on the announcement, Kirstie Stage, one of the young people on the CAMHS commissioning group, said: “Mental Health is an issue which affects everyone and for young people there is already a significant amount of pressure I am delighted that young people are having their opinions listened to for a service which puts them at the centre.”
“This is a pivotal point in stepping forward – in not only shaping a future CAMHS service, but also for us to share our own personal perspectives as respected young people.”
Ted Wilson, of the Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said “The new joint service will be based on outcomes designed by service users and will reflect the needs and views of the children, young people, and their carers It’s really important for us to involve young people to help shape and develop these services.”
“We believe these new services will create an opportunity to provide a much wider choice for how children, young people and their families engage with local services.”
The Marlborough.News three part series of articles on CAMHS in our area can be found at these web addresses: A crisis in children’s mental health? How is Wiltshire coping? Part One: the system is changing