Observational studyBMJ open2020
Impact of transforming mental health services for young people in England on patient access, resource use and health: a quasi-experimental study.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Contextual determinants associated with children's and adolescents' mental health care utilization: a systematic review.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Service redesign interventions to reduce waiting time for paediatric rehabilitation and therapy services: A systematic review of the literature.Health & social care in the community · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of a needs-based model of care on the characteristics of healthcare services in England: the i-THRIVE National Implementation Programme.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2025Article
- 5-year mental health outcomes for children and adolescents presenting with psychiatric symptoms to general practitioners in England: a retrospective cohort study.The lancet. Psychiatry · 2024Article
- Expanding the early intervention offer: A new care pathway for children's wellbeing practitioners in a south London child and adolescent mental health service.Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2024Article
- Child and adolescent mental health services in a devolved healthcare system: a qualitative exploration of sustainable practices.Health research policy and systems · 2023Article
- Observational
- Introducing a single point of access (SPA) to child and adolescent mental health services in England: a mixed-methods observational study.BMC health services research · 2020Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the impact of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) transformation in South East England on patient access, resource utilisation and health outcomes.
designIn an observational study, we use difference-in-differences analysis with propensity score matching to analyse routinely collected patient level data.
settingThree CAMHS services in South East England.
participantsAll patients attending CAMHS between April 2012 and December 2018, with more than 57 000 spells of care included.
main outcome measuresThe rate and volume of people accessing CAMHS; waiting times to the first contact and waiting times between the first and second contact; and health outcomes, including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS).
resultsThe intervention led to 20% (incidence rate ratio: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.15 to 1.24) more new patients starting per month. There was mixed evidence on waiting times for the first contact. The intervention led to 10% (incidence rate ratio: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.18) higher waiting time for the second contact. The number of contacts per spell (OR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.94 to 1.25) and the rereferral rate (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.96 to 1.17) were not significantly different. During the post intervention period, patients in the intervention group scored on average 3.3 (95% CI: -5.0 to -1.6) points lower on the RCADS and 1.0 (95% CI: -1.8 to -0.3) points lower on the SDQ compared with the control group after adjusting for the baseline score.
conclusionsOverall, there are signs that transformation can help CAMHS achieve the objectives of greater access and improved health outcomes, but trade-offs exist among different performance metrics, particularly between access and waiting times. Commissioners and providers should be conscious of any trade-offs when undertaking service redesign and transformation.
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