Neiva, R, Santa, K, Ali, M and Smith, GM The impact of a digital referral to improve access to Children and Mental Health Services. A prospective observational study with real-world data. Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. ISSN 1728-0583 (Accepted)

Text The impact of a digital referral to improve access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services .pdf - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (634kB)

Abstract

Background In the UK, children and young people's (CYP) mental health needs are increasing, whilst access to care is worsening. This trend is sharper in the North of England and post-COVID-19. Health Information Technologies (HIT) has been shown to successfully simplify access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), reduce waiting times, and provide anonymous support and reliable information. Methods A single-centre prospective observational study was conducted to evidence the impact of "CYP as One" – a single digital referral point to CAMHS – in reducing waiting times and referral rejection rates. The first 12-months of the "CYP as One" implementation was compared with the 12-months pre-implementation (historical control group) using non-parametric tests. Results "CYP as One" showed an increase in 1,314 referrals, particularly self-referrals (71%). There was an increase of 16.13 days in waiting time in the Implementation Phase (53.89 days) compared with Pre-implementation Phase (37.76 days) (p< .001). However, the Implementation Phase led to a reduction in waiting time for months 10 (M=16.18, p=9.04E-05), 11 (M=17.45, p=1.38E-08), and 12 (M=31.45, p=1.51E-11). Rejection rates increased due to the increased (108%) volume of referrals. Conclusions The "CYP as One" improved access and reduced waiting times for CYP after initial phase. However, the available real-world data did not enable investigations of whether referrals with specific mental health-related conditions affect waiting times and staff time. "CYP as One" represents a promising model for digital transformation in youth mental healthcare, with ongoing research needed to assess its long-term impact and cost-effectiveness.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1117 Public Health and Health Services; 1701 Psychology; Developmental & Child Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services
Divisions:	Liverpool Business School Nursing & Allied Health
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	17 Jan 2024 16:17
Last Modified:	17 Jan 2024 16:17
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/22308

View Item