Networked Data Lab report reveals new insights about children and young people receiving mental health support

In 2020 NHS Liverpool CCG together with Healthy Wirral Partnership successfully won a Health Foundation bid to form a Networked Data Lab for a two-year programme of research, this is the second analysis topic which looks at Improving children and young people’s mental health services.

The Health Foundation’s Networked Data Lab (NDL) has analysed data across England, Scotland and Wales to reveal new insights about children and young people receiving mental health support.

Analysis by local teams including in Liverpool and Wirral, flags three areas for further investigation, nationally and locally:

The use of GPs and medication for mental health problems is growing in the areas analysed by NDL teams
A higher proportion of adolescent girls and young women are receiving antidepressants, are in contact with support services and most frequently experiencing mental health crises
The data shows a stark contrast in socioeconomic deprivation, with more prescriptions and mental health crises in the most deprived areas

Key findings in terms of the data for Liverpool and Wirral showed that:
Adolescent girls aged 15–17 had the greatest number of contacts with specialist mental health services.
Among children younger than age 12, boys accounted for the majority of care contacts with specialist mental health services.

A copy of the full report can be found here.