Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
Priory is the largest provider of child and adolescent inpatient services to the NHS. We aim to meet a young person's mental health needs safely and effectively, in the least restrictive environment, whilst maintaining their privacy, dignity, sense of self, and relationships with those close to them. We also provide outpatient therapy and day care services at selected locations.
Our inpatient provision is offered to young people aged between 12 and 18 years*. However, under special circumstances, Priory is able to provide inpatient support for young people from the age of 10.
Priory provides a comprehensive range of services that support young people with a wide range of risks and complexities which consists of:
- General adolescent unit (GAU)/Tier 4 services
- Eating disorders
- High dependency units (HDUs)
- Low Secure Services
- Psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs)
- Specialist learning disabilities and autism
Priory also provides Transitional Living Services for Young People and Young Adults, which includes residential services for children and adolescents with complex mental health needs, risk taking behaviours, or eating disorders. Please visit our dedicated service page for more information on specific sites.
Our approach
We understand that arriving at hospital can be a daunting time for a young person so we do all we can to ease these feelings, by providing a safe environment in which to offer high quality and effective care.
Our comprehensive multidisciplinary teams provide evidence-based treatment programmes across a range of conditions. Our treatment plans are tailored to the needs of each individual and aim to take into account individual mental, physical, educational and spiritual needs.
Our outcomes
We work hard to involve young people in their care and aim to provide supportive services which make a positive difference to their behaviours and future lives. We are delighted that the vast majority of young people speak positively about their experience with Priory. Follow the link to learn more.
(Priory Healthcare Quality Account 2021/22)
Service overview
We have worked with young people to develop a unique therapeutic approach, called ‘Working with Young People’. This is divided into five principles that underpin our work:
1. Nurture
We want young people to feel cared for and looked after during their time at the service. We will help young people to stay safe and feel safe and we are responsive to young people’s basic and emotional needs.
2. Expectations
Clear expectations provide young people with a sense of structure and safety, as well as facilitating their progress and recovery. We are passionate about meeting the needs of the young people in our care and continually improve our provision, based on experience and feedback.
3. Respect
We foster a culture of respect for each other’s views, identity and beliefs. Young people are not defined by their behaviours and/or difficulties but are valued for who they are.
4. Enabling
We enable young people to develop skills and understanding to grow as healthy individuals and build a future life. We help young people and their families work towards recovery by helping them to effectively manage their challenges and avoid dependency. We will acknowledge young people’s goals and celebrate their achievements.
5. Reflection
We foster a reflective culture which encourages learning, problem solving and openness, in order to create a healthy team, which can work together to provide effective and thoughtful care.
The Care Programme Approach (CPA)
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The Care Programme Approach (CPA) forms the basis of care planning for young people undergoing treatment at Priory. The CPA provides us with an opportunity to regularly review a young person’s progress during their treatment with us and adapt their treatment objectives accordingly. CPA meetings include members of the inpatient team, family members or carers as appropriate, and other health and social care professionals who are involved in the care and treatment of the young person.
Where a young person reaches the age of 17½ years during their admission, we will work with local CAMHS provisions, adult mental health services and commissioners to arrange an effective transition to adult services. This may include referral to adult inpatient services if they are unable to be discharged before their 18th birthday.
We are committed to protecting and safeguarding all of the young people that we care for. We strive to create a transparent and open culture where everyone that we admit feels safe and comfortable.
Family and carer support
We recognise that an inpatient admission separates a young person from their family and significant others, so we encourage parents, carers and other family members to be involved in the young person’s treatment programme where appropriate.
Discreet meeting rooms enable the young person to spend time with their family. With young people’s agreement, we maintain regular contact with parents and carers to keep them informed of a young person’s progress. We also offer family therapy programmes and support groups.
Our CAMHS offering is regularly reviewed by the Quality Network for Inpatient CAMHS (QNIC) – a quality network operated by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. This ensures that we meet national standards for quality of care. We also use nationally recognised clinical outcome measures, such as the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) and the Clinical Global Assessment Scales (CGAS), which provide a valuable indication of the efficacy of our treatment programmes. Both staff and young people complete scores that indicate their wellbeing across a number of domains of functioning, at admission, during treatment and at discharge.
We are committed to continually improving quality of treatment, and many of our clinicians are actively involved in education and research or in working with NHS England to develop CAMHS strategies at a national level – this helps to enhance the quality of our services at a local level.
