Previous JSNA products - Staffordshire Observatory

Contents

Mental health in children

Referrals

  • Annual Staffordshire CAMHS referrals reported by Staffordshire’s local trusts have increased year-on-year from around 6,400 in 2015/16 to 10,500 in 2019/20.  Anecdotally providers are continuing to report increases, with the picture worsening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Published data supports this assumption, with mental health referrals (age 0-18) increasing for all Staffordshire CCGs -  all of which are now above pre-pandemic levels.

Referrals starting in reporting period aged 0-18 years (MHS32a)






Line graph showing monthly referrals to five Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) between January 2020 and May 2021. The chart includes Cannock Chase CCG, East Staffordshire CCG, South East Staffordshire & Seisdon Peninsula CCG, Stafford & Surrounds CCG, and North Staffordshire CCG. All areas show a sharp drop in referrals around April 2020, followed by gradual recovery and fluctuations through 2021. North Staffordshire CCG consistently has the highest number of referrals, peaking at around 570 referrals in March 2021 before ending just above 500 in May 2021. South East Staffordshire & Seisdon Peninsula CCG is generally the second highest, rising to around 410 referrals by May 2021. The remaining three CCGs follow similar patterns at lower levels, with referrals typically ranging between 150 and 300 by the end of the period. The y-axis shows referral numbers from 0 to 600, and the x-axis shows months from January 2020 to May 2021.

Source:  NHS Digital

Mental health in young people - admissions

  • Mental health is a top concern (24%) among Staffordshire’s young people (aged 11-18, Make Your Mark Survey 2020). It is also the most common factor in Children's Social Care assessments – half of assessments cited this as a factor (2020/21).
  • Overall mental health hospital admissions in children (85.5 per 100,000) remains similar to national. However, there were 695 self-harm admissions to hospital in 2019/20 (age 10-24).
  • Rates also rising since 2017 and higher than national - up to 493 per 100,000 in 2019/20, from 425 per 100,000 in 2017/18. More recent unpublished data does show a fall in admissions, similar to national, however this likely to be attributed to the impact of COVID-19.
  • Local survey research also verifies that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on children's mental health - 61% of under 35's were worried about their mental wellbeing, compared to 25% aged 65+ (Staffordshire COVID-19 Resident Survey).

Hospital admissions as a result of self-harm (10-24 years)






Line graph comparing age-standardised rates per 100,000 population for Staffordshire and England between 2011/12 and 2020/21. The red line represents Staffordshire and the blue line represents England. England’s rate remains relatively stable throughout the period, fluctuating between around 340 and 440 per 100,000. Staffordshire shows greater variation, rising from about 300 in 2011/12 to a peak of around 570 in 2018/19 before declining to approximately 430 by 2020/21. Error bars are shown for Staffordshire data points, indicating confidence intervals. The y-axis ranges from 0 to 700 age-standardised rate per 100,000, and the x-axis shows years from 2011/12 to 2020/21.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, HSCIC / Public Health England

"With additional stress of unemployment, stretched finances, additional childcare responsibilities, illness and isolation, this is likely to escalate the requirement for support."