Our out of hours mental health support service for 11-18 year olds in Surrey was honoured at the first ever Children and Young People’s Mental Health (CYPMH) Positive Practice Awards 2018.
The service provides out of hours telephone support seven days per week for young people experiencing an emotional or mental health crisis, along with two respite beds for short overnight stays. It also provides outreach to young people in mental health settings such as hospitals and assessment suites and they may also be supported with visits to their home. The care and support children and young people receive helps reduce the need for them to be admitted to A&E or to either paediatric or mental health wards. It also helps to keep families together and prevent the breakdown of care placements.
Justine Leonard, Director for Children and Young People's Services, said: “I’m delighted that Extended Hope has received the recognition it deserves. The team has worked tirelessly to prevent many young people in Surrey attending A&E, as well as preventing paediatric ward stays and the breakdown of care placements – so to be recognised for this on a national level is a great achievement.”
Clare Curran, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, said: “This national recognition is richly deserved. Not only does this ground-breaking service reduce the need for young people to be admitted to hospital, it also keeps them close to their families and helps ensure stable placements for children in care. It shows how organisations can work together for Surrey's young people - by joining forces with health services, we can tailor the right support for their needs at times of emotional crisis and provide a service that is both effective for them and cost effective for the system.”
In its first nine months, Extended Hope’s telephone support prevented 126 psychiatric admissions, 92 A&E admissions and 53 paediatric ward stays. York Consulting, an independent business consultancy, estimated the cost benefit of these preventions equalling a saving of £3 to every £1 invested in Extended Hope.
The service is managed by Surrey County Council in partnership with our Trust and funded by Surrey County Council and local clinical commissioning groups.