14th April 2014

• The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Sheffield has been an area of concern for parents for a number of years. Back in 2012, we raised concerns about a sharp increase in waiting times.

  The Council’s Healthier Communities & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee subsequently set up a Working Group to undertake a review of CAMHS services in Sheffield. This group gathered evidence from a range of individuals and organisations, including CAMHS users, their parents, and GPs. Forum representatives attended a meeting in January 2013 to give evidence.

  The Working Group has now published its findings. The report identifies a number of areas for improvement as well as possible solutions; it also outlines 10 principles which the group thinks the service needs to be built on and should deliver against.

  Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CGG) and Sheffield Children’s Hospital Foundation Trust have compiled a combined response to the report. You can download the report and draft reponse here.

  The Working Group would like to meet with parents in early May to discuss the report and draft response, and to feed back any comments, concerns or requests for additional information before a final version is produced. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please get in touch.