Quotation 1

Contrasting behaviour in public and in private

Challenge frontstage
NED 11My question is probably two-fold; one is – if I have understood it correctly – so please correct me if I am wrong
 2we have set ourselves a target of 35% of the children in this catchment that we will provide a service to, and we are running at about 31% so we are a bit short, trying to catch up. Why such a low target? What is the primary restraint? Why isn't it 100% of the children?
Manager3That is a very good question …
 4… The target was set by NHS England … and it is something in the long-term plan that they are beginning to extend …
 5… And it does seem low, doesn't it, because you think, why aren't we looking after all the children who might have a need? …
 6… Some children who may be having early signs of emotional distress … needs are being met by school pastoral services [or] they might be supported by … youth services
 7… There is a whole range of other services out there and about 35% is children with a diagnosed health illness
 8… So, I think we need to think broader going forward
 9but yes, I agree with you it does look quite low when you look at it in those terms
  (Board A, public)
  Continuation of challenge backstage
Chair10Any items that people want to talk about from Part 1?
NED 111We had a presentation on children's mental health. First of all, I was really disappointed with the 35%. I understand we don't know if 65% of the kids are being serviced elsewhere, but it seemed – especially for public consumption – a very unambitious target. And then we're talking about a £6 m spend on [other initiatives], and yet we're talking about – the rest of it is peanuts, an investment in the hundreds of thousands … If it's a priority for us, what sort of investment should we be putting in? Is that the constraint? Is it that the target should really be 80%, and we just need more resources and more money, or are we just living within our means? … I'd just like to make sure I understand
CEO12I think we should … I mean … eh … [the presenter] tried to answer the question and I agree the answer was problematic. I'll try to answer it. 35% doesn't represent everybody … it's not named people, these are just, kind of, statistical norms and that kind of stuff. So, it's a kind of rough benchmark and the 35% target has been set nationally. You [need to] invest in the 65% so they don't become the 35% … I think we need to explain that better, I think you're right, the answer wasn't good enough
NED 213I wanted to pick up about quick access … that did not come across in the presentation at all. It goes back to the 35% and how we can show the pathway and really target that early intervention
NED 314So that's exactly it, that's the key thing for me: how quickly do people get seen and how quickly do they get treated
Chair15There is something about the system not recognising the severity of the changes and … what we are seeing. The question is how do we prioritise more and have a bit more scale of ambition within the system we have got? … So we can take that away, and bring it to the clinical leads … and feed in some of this with the NHS plan
 (Board A, private)

or Create an Account

Close subscription notice
Close access options