Rise in mental health problems among York children as result of pandemic
The number of sessions delivered to under 18s increased by 37 per cent in the past year
There has been a huge rise in the amount of mental health therapy provided to York children since the start of the pandemic.
York health leaders say they must take action quickly to reduce the long term impact of the pandemic on the mental health of the next generation.
NHS data reveals that the number of mental health treatment sessions delivered to under-18s rose by 37 per cent in the past year, for Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
City leaders have set up an action group to tackle a surge in demand for mental health support from residents of all ages, as a result of illness caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
They say one in six children are now experiencing a likely mental health disorder – compared to one in nine children in 2017.
And nearly 20 per cent of all residents will need extra mental health support as a result of the pandemic.
Eating disorder services and crisis support teams have already seen a surge in demand for treatment from children and adults.
An action plan has been discussed at a York mental health summit involving the NHS, police, MPs, council and charities – with a focus on emotional health education in schools, extra support for businesses to help their staff and suicide prevention services.
Phil Mettam from the CCG and Tim Madgwick, independent chair of York’s Mental Health Partnership, said in a joint statement:
“We’ve got to get this right and we’ve got to do it now to lessen the mental-health legacy of this pandemic for a future generation.
“The summit went extremely well, especially considering the short notice given and the pressure all attendees are under due to the pandemic.
“It gives us a great launchpad. However, the point was to turn words into action as quickly as possible and now it’s all about momentum, making sure we remove barriers to working in a coordinated and innovative way across the public, private and voluntary sectors.”
Cllr Carol Runciman, chair of York’s health and wellbeing board, said: “Taking effective and joined-up action to support mental health is a must and the summit was timely and welcome. It was an opportunity to reflect and identify further initiatives.
“I was pleased to be able to report back on our partnership campaign #FeelRealYork, which launched in November to support adults to maintain or improve their mental health. It does this by normalising ‘not feeling great’ and by encouraging people to reach out and start a conversation with someone who’s struggling with difficult emotions.”