Parental Perceptions of a Manchester Service for Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Background. User feedback is now an integral part of both clinical governance and service development, and it also provides a key route to engaging parents and children. Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) can impact on all members of a family, and close working between parents and professionals is essential. Aim. To explore parental satisfaction rates and identify areas in need of improvement. Method. A postal survey was completed by parents whose children had been diagnosed with an ASD in the past 18 months in a Manchester Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. The National Autism Plan for Children was used as a gold standard. Results. Parents were particularly satisfied with the way team members dealt with them and their children during appointments. However, the standard of written information provided about the condition, diagnosis, and support available could be improved. The findings show the benefits of receiving a diagnosis in the recommended timeframe. Discussion. We discuss ways of effectively using scarce resources

Audit of family support of 16-17 year olds with mental health needs

AbstractIntroduction: Mental health problems occur commonly and impact on quality of life. It is important to understand causal factors.Aims: To understand parental support available for 16-17 year olds with mental health needs.Method: An audit of all case notes open to an adolescent mental health team in June 2010Results: Notably 59.1% adolescents had family support and 40.9% lacked support. More males had family support than females, but more females had parental support. Case note documentation of family involvement is variable.Conclusion: Family support should be explored for each referral. Documentation of family involvement should to be improved

Assessing the mental health of 16 – 17 year olds in Manchester

AbstractCompulsory education in the United Kingdom ends at 16. This paper explores the challenges of attempting to find a representative sample of 16 – 17 year olds. The authors worked with Connexions, the careers advisory service and sent out a one stage postal questionnaire survey. Sixty young people returned questionnaires, information was also provided by parents and connexions workers. About 17% of young people identified that they needed professional help, as did a similar proportion of Connexions workers, while parents felt about 14% of adolescents needed professional help. Data from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire identified that this sample had high levels of mental health needs

A RETROSPECTIVE AUDIT OF REFERRALS OF 16-17 YEAR OLDS WITH REFERENCE TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Background: Emerge is an innovative Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service that provides support for 16-17 year olds. The team provide a community based multi-disciplinary, open access model, texting young people and travelling to locations convenient to them. There is an enhanced duty system providing a rapid flexible response within working hours. Aims: To examine the referral data as part of the ongoing annual audit cycle and to establish prevalence of alcohol, cigarettes and substance use among young people referred to the service. Method: Data from the case notes was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science. Demographic details, referrer profession, reason for referral, other services involved and substance use were examined. Results: There were 437 patients referred to Emerge between 1/4/2010 and 31/3/2011, and 387 patients were accepted while 50 were signposted on. Cases were not accepted if they fell outside the age and geographical area, or were not in need of a mental health service. Overall, 24% of young people were reported to consume alcohol, 19% used cannabis and 9% reported using cigarettes. In all categories there were areas where documentation was not complete, and we suggest that these figures are an underestimate. Conclusion: This data has been fed back to the team, a full morning of teaching regarding drugs and alcohol has been delivered. Emerge often works with young people who are marginalised and may be harder to reach, consequently early sessions require neutral and supportive questions, thus if young people do not return after the first appointment, histories may be incomplete. The team will be reflecting on the lessons learned and considering ways to optimise their work

A RETROSPECTIVE AUDIT OF REFERRALS OF 16-17 YEAR OLDS WITH REFERENCE TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Background: Emerge is an innovative Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service that provides support for 16-17 year olds. The team provide a community based multi-disciplinary, open access model, texting young people and travelling to locations convenient to them. There is an enhanced duty system providing a rapid flexible response within working hours. Aims: To examine the referral data as part of the ongoing annual audit cycle and to establish prevalence of alcohol, cigarettes and substance use among young people referred to the service. Method: Data from the case notes was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science. Demographic details, referrer profession, reason for referral, other services involved and substance use were examined. Results: There were 437 patients referred to Emerge between 1/4/2010 and 31/3/2011, and 387 patients were accepted while 50 were signposted on. Cases were not accepted if they fell outside the age and geographical area, or were not in need of a mental health service. Overall, 24% of young people were reported to consume alcohol, 19% used cannabis and 9% reported using cigarettes. In all categories there were areas where documentation was not complete, and we suggest that these figures are an underestimate. Conclusion: This data has been fed back to the team, a full morning of teaching regarding drugs and alcohol has been delivered. Emerge often works with young people who are marginalised and may be harder to reach, consequently early sessions require neutral and supportive questions, thus if young people do not return after the first appointment, histories may be incomplete. The team will be reflecting on the lessons learned and considering ways to optimise their work