This report details the findings of our project exploring young people’s experiences of mental health and accessing mental health support in Lancashire. This project follows on from our initial project which was published in October 2023 where we explored the experiences of Lancashire residents who had experience of waiting for support from mental health services.
Feedback uncovered a series of barriers to accessing support, which for many, resulted in a decline in their mental health and feeling unsure of where to go for support.
Feedback was gathered from 110 young people, 31 parent/carers and 1 college wellbeing officer.
A main theme we identified was multiple barriers in accessing support for those who are neurodivergent, particularly those with autism and/or ADHD. The barriers highlighted included:
- A lack of support from CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) due to staff not being sufficiently trained in neurodiversity.
- Young people being discharged from CAMHS without receiving treatment due to their autism or ADHD.
There were positive experiences to be celebrated including 46% of young people receiving mental health support either on the same day or within a month. Also, the high proportion (79%) of young people who were aware what support was on offer at school, college or university.
These findings have helped to formulate recommendations for the attention of providers of mental health services in Lancashire including Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust to help improve the access and experience of mental health services in Lancashire.
Read the report, find out more about our recommendations and view our case study report.
| Waiting for Wellness Phase 2: Full Report | Download File (pdf 787.07 KB) |
| Waiting for Wellness Phase 2: Case Study Report | Download File (pdf 508.02 KB) |