5 new mental health hubs announced
A development which increases the intensive supports available to Irish children and young people in times of acute mental health crisis has been launched.
The HSE’s new Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Model of Care will see five additional CAMHS Hubs established across the country.
The hubs will support CAMHS Teams in delivering enhanced responses to children, young people, and their families/carers.
Speaking at the launch of the hubs, Minister of State at the Department of Health Mary Butler TD said: “Support from these hubs is designed to be over a short period of time, as they provide targeted and intensive intervention and support with flexibility to respond to different young people’s or parent/carer needs.”
The new model of care is considered a key component of the HSE Mental Health Reform plans in the HSE Corporate Plan. The model is also aligned to national strategic policies in Sláintecare and Sharing the Vision: A Mental Health Policy for Everyone.
Yvonne Goff, National Director, Change and Innovation, HSE said: “These hubs are a significant development in our journey to improve CAMHS. The provision of timely and person-centred support to children, young people, and families during times of acute mental health crisis is vital in providing additional person-centred supports.”
The New CAMHS Pilot Hubs aim to provide timely and person-centred support in the home or community, allowing for a quick response to an individual’s needs.
They will also look to reduce hospital admission by offering an alternative response with the provision of intensive supports during times of acute mental health crisis.
As part of the model of care’s multidisciplinary approach, teams of professionals from various disciplines will assess an individual's needs and develop an individual care plan tailored to support their recovery journey.
The pilot implementation of the CAMHS Hub will undergo an independent evaluation over the testing phase of 18-24 months. This evaluation will help assess whether the desired outcomes are being met and inform future development of the service.
By continuously learning and adapting based on the evaluation results, the HSE plans to improve the model and ensure it effectively meets the needs of individuals with mental difficulties.
Co-chairs of the National Steering Group, John Meehan, Assistant National Director for Mental Health Operations Planning, and Dr Amir Niazi, National Clinical Lead for Mental Health, added: “The next stage of testing and piloting this model of care is an important one as it will enable us to learn from implementation and to evaluate if desired outcomes are being met to inform the development of CAMHS Hubs into the future.”