Version 2: Investigating young people’s engagement with CAMHS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Version 2: Investigating young people’s engagement with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
IRAS ID
271196
Contact name
Rachel Harris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Research and Development
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is a service for children and young people undergoing assessment and intervention for moderate to severe mental health difficulties. National and local data demonstrates that some young people struggle to attend their appointments in CAMHS and at other healthcare appointments (NHS Benchmarking Network, 2018). This means that a proportion of young people experiencing distress may remain unsupported, and those who have engaged with services may experience barriers to therapeutic intervention and wellness. Missing CAMHS appointments, or gradually disengaging, poses a clinical risk and can also indicate safeguarding issues for the young person and their family (Abdinasir, 2017). Appointments which are not formally cancelled or rescheduled can also contribute to service waiting times, and can be costly to the NHS (Campbell et al., 2015). The current literature suggests that structural, service and patient related factors can impact attendance at CAMHS and other healthcare appointments (Abdinasir, 2017; Campbell, Millard, McCartney & McCullough, 2015; Ellis, McQueenie, McConnachie, Wilson & Williamson, 2017; Minty & Anderson, 2004).
Much of the previous research around factors influencing appointment attendance has focused on the adult population, with a lack of research investigating this from a young person’s perspective (Worrall- Davies & Marino- Francis, 2008). To our knowledge, there are no published qualitative studies in Scotland which have investigated young people’s experiences of attending CAMHS appointments. This study intends to inform this gap in the literature by interviewing young people who attend CAMHS and CAMHS staff about young peoples' experiences of attending appointment at CAMHS. These interviews will be conducted by the research team either face to face, or over the telephone. We hope that this will help identify where CAMHS can focus efforts to improve engagement with young people.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 4
REC reference
19/WS/0135
Date of REC Opinion
13 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion