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RQIA Independent Review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health ...

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Term <strong>of</strong> Reference 1 Theme 4 Access to specialized services<br />

Criterion: BHSCT & SEHSCT NHSCT SHSCT WHSCT<br />

The Belfast Trust provides the Senior management Senior management<br />

regional inpatient service. The reported difficulties in reported difficulties in<br />

review team found that the regional accessing regional accessing regional<br />

inpatient beds appear to be<br />

inpatient beds.<br />

inpatient beds.<br />

disproportionately used by Belfast<br />

<strong>and</strong> South Eastern Trust, although<br />

access by other trusts has<br />

improved in the past two years.<br />

1.4.1. Provision <strong>and</strong><br />

procedures are in<br />

place to ensure that<br />

appropriate <strong>and</strong><br />

timely inpatient care<br />

is available for<br />

young people.<br />

Assessment by<br />

review team<br />

The review team found that at<br />

present there is an over-reliance on<br />

the provision <strong>of</strong> inpatient treatment.<br />

It was found that the development<br />

<strong>of</strong> alternatives to hospital admission<br />

<strong>and</strong> community services via<br />

outreach, early intervention <strong>and</strong> day<br />

services would reduce the need for<br />

in-patient beds. In turn, the<br />

regional unit may then have<br />

sufficient places to avoid the need<br />

for children <strong>and</strong> young people in<br />

Northern Irel<strong>and</strong> to be placed on an<br />

adult ward.<br />

The Northern Trust<br />

reports it has been<br />

allocated 1.5<br />

adolescents beds in the<br />

regional unit, however a<br />

bed is not always<br />

available when needed<br />

<strong>and</strong> young people are<br />

<strong>of</strong>ten placed in an adult<br />

ward.<br />

The review team<br />

highlighted this as a<br />

particular challenge as<br />

the trust does not have<br />

access to alternatives<br />

to hospital admission.<br />

The Southern Trust reports<br />

it has been allocated<br />

approximately two<br />

adolescents beds in the<br />

regional inpatient unit.<br />

However, they stated that<br />

they rarely have two<br />

patients using the unit. It<br />

was reported that 28<br />

patients have been<br />

referred within the last year<br />

<strong>and</strong> only three have been<br />

admitted.<br />

The review team noted that<br />

alternatives to hospital<br />

admission are limited.<br />

Senior<br />

management<br />

reported difficulty<br />

accessing regional<br />

inpatient beds for<br />

children <strong>and</strong><br />

young people.<br />

In addition the<br />

trust reported that<br />

young people <strong>and</strong><br />

their families feel<br />

that the regional<br />

unit is inaccessible<br />

due to<br />

geographical<br />

distance from the<br />

Western area to<br />

Belfast.<br />

Partially achieved Not achieved Not achieved Not achieved<br />

88

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