Contribution
My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 62 in this group, which is in my name, and I will try to be as brief as possible. This group is all about the statutory care and treatment plans, and I very much welcome them. They are a very positive part of this legislation and should help patients achieve recovery and hopefully discharge from mental health in-patient units as quickly as possible.
My amendment seeks to ensure that individuals who are turning 18 during a care and treatment plan have their plans reviewed to ensure that there is continuity of care when transitioning from child to adult services. I spoke earlier about the tricky issue of transitioning from child to adult services. It is important for three reasons. Young people aged 16 to 25 experience high rates of mental health problems but are less likely to access the support they need; young people often experience tricky transitions, meaning that too often they fall through the gaps—we have heard so many stories about in this Chamber in the past; and, again as we have said earlier today, young people really should have a say in their care and treatment.
We know that there is a high level of mental health need among young people in the 16 to 25 age group and that it is going up. I have no wish to return to the earlier debate about whether that rise is real, but the numbers according to NHS Digital are very much on the increase. So, while 16 to 25 year-olds are experiencing high levels of need, they are often having real difficulties accessing support. It is sometimes talked about as the treatment gap, which is what the noble Lord, Lord Stevens, talked about earlier on, and it is far wider here than for other age groups.
These poor transitions between CAMHS and adult services are generally the problem because, after someone reaches their 18th birthday—which is the upper limit for CAMHS—young people too often face a real cliff edge when trying to access mental health support. They are no longer in the age range for CAMHS and simultaneously may not reach the threshold for adult services. Effectively, it leaves young people in limbo, with no access to the mental health support they require.
There is a range of reasons for these challenges, including poor information and, very importantly, a difference in treatment models. While children’s services are generally seen as more nurturing, with a focus on treating developmental and emotional disorders, adult services in contrast focus on treating severe and enduring mental illness, meaning that young people with these diagnoses are less likely to be accepted. Just as I have mentioned, the high thresholds for support often result in young people being told that they are not ill enough for the services they need, so unfortunately things get worse and they end up being detained. Without that support during transition, young people can experience all sorts of worsening symptoms and other life outcomes. That is the rationale behind my Amendment 62.
I will mention another couple of amendments in this group that have my strong support. Amendment 64, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Keeley, from whom we have still to hear, really emphasises the critical importance of ensuring that, where young carers are involved in a family situation, they are identified, particularly by adult mental health practitioners, who may not have them in mind first and foremost, that people proactively look for them, and then that the young carers—who are often hidden, with their needs only identified when there is a crisis—are supported. That amendment has my full support.
Lastly, I support Amendment 59, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Davies. At this point—because I have not done it yet—I refer to my interests in the register, both as a member of the Financial Inclusion Commission and president of the Money Advice Trust. I absolutely support what the noble Lord said about the importance of these plans, including matters to do with finance. The links between money problems and mental health are now well proven and this legislation should reflect them. The Bill provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that people’s holistic needs, including finances, are considered as a key part of supporting recovery from a mental health crisis.