Inequity in treatment access for child mental health services in England: analysis of administrative national data for 2021–2022
Aims and method An equitable child mental health service provides access to treatment proportionally to the need of individual demographic groups. Despite qualitative and survey-based evidence of barriers disadvantaging some demographic groups, it is not well understood how these barriers translate...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
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| Series: | BJPsych Bulletin |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056469424001141/type/journal_article |
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| Summary: | Aims and method
An equitable child mental health service provides access to treatment proportionally to the need of individual demographic groups. Despite qualitative and survey-based evidence of barriers disadvantaging some demographic groups, it is not well understood how these barriers translate into quantifiable inequities. We calculated the treatment access rate for English children aged 6–16 years in 2021–2022, using the patient-level Mental Health Services Data Set and Mental Health of Children and Young People Survey.
Results
The number of primary school children in treatment needs to increase nationally by 173%, the number of boys by 65% and the number of children from a White ethnic background by 31%, to achieve equity in treatment access. There was no evidence of inequities by area deprivation.
Clinical implications
Child mental health services in England should not only increase overall access rates, but also pay more attention to equity in access across different demographic groups.
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| ISSN: | 2056-4694 2056-4708 |