The care, innovation and dedication of a team supporting the mental health needs of children and young people in Lichfield and Burntwood has been recognised with a high-profile award.
The Lichfield Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) saw off an impressive field of finalists to win the Psychiatric Team of the Year: Children and Adolescents category at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ RCPsych Awards 2019.
Praising the service, provided by Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the judges said they were “impressed by the way resources were used in a relatively small Community CAMHS service to offer a wide range of interventions, despite an increase in referrals and no increase in workforce”.
The judges added: “Quality improvement is embedded in the service and the team demonstrated good collaborative working relationships and morale, offering a wide range of interventions and integration with primary care. This is an excellent team across all domains.”
With the support of staff, young service users have been able to run sessions for other young people, give presentations at a national level and support the team to create an environment which is welcoming and therapeutic.
Claire Bailey, Managing Director of MPFT’s Children and Families Care Group, said: “The support the Lichfield Community CAMHS team provide to the children and young people who use the service, alongside their parents and carers, really is second to none – so I’m thrilled they have been recognised in this way.
“To be shortlisted is an achievement in itself, so for the team to have been chosen as the Psychiatric Team of the Year for children and adolescents is just fantastic and fully deserved. This success will spur them on to further enhance the care the team provides to the young people they support.”
Notes to Editors:
The RCPsych Awards 2019 took place in London on Friday 8 November
More information about the awards can be found at www.rcpsych.ac.uk/about-us/rcpsych-awards-2019
Picture provided by Grainge Photography