The national CYP Mental Health and CYP Transformation Programme teams jointly released funding in 2023/24 to enable systems to come together to collectively support CYP with mental health needs who present in acute paediatric settings, as well as supporting the clinical teams that manage these patients. One of the initiatives NHSE is funding is the establishment of Mental Health Champion in each provider that admits children and young people by Autumn 2023/24 to ensure that all children are appropriately supported in paediatric settings, with parity of esteem for mental health. This funding has now been confirmed for 2026/2027.
The Trust is expected to use the funding to establish at least one Mental Health Champion across the three hospital sites of North Middlesex University Hospital, Barnet Hospital and The Royal Free Hospital. The Trust will recruit to the role a senior clinician who can admit children and young people to a paediatric ward, and/or who holds clinical responsibility for children and young people in acute settings in the provider that admits paediatric patients. This is likely to be a Paediatrician, senior paediatric nurse, or senior paediatric allied health professional.
Facilitating improvements in joint working across their trust and wider system
Increasing the confidence of their colleagues in supporting these children and young people and their families/carers, through sourcing, signposting, and supporting training and education opportunities, and ensuring clear pathways are in place across teams.
Improving the experience of children and young people and their families/carers.
Advocating for mental health across paediatrics, the individual should help facilitate join-up between CAMHS, mental health liaison teams, mental health nurses, learning disability and autism services, and other key partners.
To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team’s operational policies and services and participate in the development of high quality, responsive and accessible services.
To undertake, together with colleagues, audit, and research to help develop and improve the service budget.
To ensure resources are managed effectively within timescales and budget.
To keep up to date comprehensive notes and prepare formal documents and reports as required.
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The Mental Health champion will deliver four key functions:
Build team confidence and morale across the department
Departmental case-based discussions, debriefing around complex and challenging cases, and mental health support for staff.
Providing peer supervision and shadowing opportunities
Encourage uptake of training
Ensuring staff within the department are trained in mental health first aid.
Integrating education opportunities with children and young people's mental health colleagues wherever possible to enhance the learning and strengthen working relationships.
Advocating for access to and availability of appropriate training in recognising and supporting the mental health needs of children and young people
Dissemination of relevant external learning by staff members across the department
Facilitate joint working across mental health and physical health
Working with paediatric clinical leads and executive leadership to encourage 'parity of esteem’.
Working with children and young people's mental health clinicians to support the provision of physical healthcare in mental health settings.
Building supportive and collaborative relationships with colleagues in local children and young people's mental health teams and with local authority services, such as social services. This would facilitate joint assessment and management of children and young people presenting to paediatric services with mental health needs.
Networking with others in similar roles across local systems, regionally and nationally, to enhance dissemination of information from NHSE, Royal Colleges and professional bodies; sharing of good practice and feedback 'from the ground' to facilitate problem solving and further development nationally.
As needed, working with NHS provider trusts of children and young people's mental health care and Provider Collaboratives to develop new pathways for children and young people; this may include the development of admission and discharge pathways and supporting joint escalation policies.
Provide leadership and link into trust governance structures
Influencing departmental attitudes, clinical pathways for children and young people, and education programmes for medical/nursing staff
Working cohesively with the clinical director of paediatric services and the paediatric ward matron or children's nursing lead
Linking into wider ICB and wider trust governance structures, including mental health and Provider Collaborative governance structures
