Hello and welcome to the Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service website. I am going to give you an audio tour so that I can help direct you to what you are looking for, and tell you about all the awesome bits that are available right here.
Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is a NHS specialist service that aims to help young people aged 5 -18 years and their families who are finding it hard to manage their emotional and psychological health, and who are suffering with acute, chronic and severe mental health problems.
If you are worried about a young person please check out the specific guidance on our help pages in relation to the mental health difficulties that they may be experiencing.
Find out more about what we do and how we provide it here.
Important information about waiting times for ADHD and Autism
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, NHS services across England have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of people who have been referred to specialist services related to Autism and/or ADHD. This increase in referrals is significantly greater than the available capacity to see all patients in line with national waiting times targets. We recognise the frustration, disappointment and worry that this may be causing you and your family. Whilst we continue to strive to respond to all patients as quickly as we can, we believe it is important to be honest and transparent about our services.
Current waiting times for referral to assessment stand at over 2.5 years. For patients who have been diagnosed with ADHD and wish to consider medication to help manage their symptoms there is also a lengthy wait time of an additional 2.5 years. The ADHD services’ ability to initiate people on medication has also been impacted by both significant increases in demand over the past four years, but also more recently due to a national shortage of supply issue for ADHD medications.
It is difficult to be more specific regarding waiting times as this could fluctuate due to an ongoing requirement to re-prioritise patients. Those with the highest clinical need will be responded to first to maintain patient safety.
NHS England Right to Choose
Patients have a legal right to be referred (by their GP) to applicable services across the country.
NHS England Patient Choice applies to Autism Assessment Services and ADHD Assessment and Prescribing services. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is committed to ensuring that patients and families are aware of their right to choose options and actively promotes NHS England guidance.
A central list of eligible Patient Choice providers is currently not available. This is because any provider who has a contract with an Integrated Care Board in the country is eligible for a referral and keeping up to date with contract expiry dates is a difficult task. However many ADHD charities will maintain lists and most Patient Choice providers have dedicated pages on their websites. Waiting times under NHS England patient choice are shorter than locally commissioned services. However increased awareness has resulted in waits reaching over 12 months with some more well-known providers.
If you have any questions about Right to Choose, please speak with your GP in the first instance.
Hampshire CAMHS is an NHS specialist service for young people aged 5-18 years and their families who are experiencing difficulties with their mental and emotional health.
There are a number of different clinical and professional staff who are trained and experienced in working with young people, and their families. Hampshire Specialist CAMHS aim to help a young person build skills of their own and achieving their potential and getting the most out of their life.
Hampshire Specialist CAMHS services are now provided by Hampshire & IOW Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Click here to find out more about the other services that they provide, and where the Hampshire clinics are based.
