CAMHS liaison: supporting care in general paediatric settings

Increasing numbers of children and young people with mental health problems are being cared for in general paediatric settings, presenting a challenge to nurses who do not have mental health nursing qualification and experience. A survey of nurses in a children's hospital identified their concerns and attitudes to caring for this client group. On-call nursing support was felt by almost all nurses (87 per cent, n=90) to be the most beneficial aspect of a liaison service, followed by teaching (84 per cent) and individual support with the young person/family (84 per cent). Based on the findings, a project was initiated to improve nursing liaison with CAMHS nurses providing support and advice to general children's nurses. Effective liaison between general paediatric wards and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) can improve care for children and young people with diagnosed mental health problems. However, there is still a gap in addressing the need of the significant numbers of children with physical illness who also have mental health needs.