Quality standard

Quality statement 4: Suspected severe depression without high risk of suicide

Quality statement 4: Suspected severe depression without high risk of suicide

Quality statement

Children and young people with suspected severe depression but not at high risk of suicide are assessed by CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) professionals within a maximum of 2 weeks of referral.

Rationale

Prompt access to services is essential if children and young people are to receive the right treatment at the right time. Arrangements should be in place so that children and young people referred to CAMHS with suspected severe depression but not at high risk of suicide are assessed quickly to help prevent injury or worsening of symptoms.

Quality measures

Structure

Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that CAMHS professionals assess children and young people with suspected severe depression but not at high risk of suicide within a maximum of 2 weeks of referral.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations.

Process

Proportion of children and young people with suspected severe depression but not at high risk of suicide who are assessed by CAMHS professionals within 2 weeks of referral.

Numerator – the number of people in the denominator assessed by CAMHS professionals within 2 weeks of referral.

Denominator – the number of children and young people referred to CAMHS with suspected severe depression but not at high risk of suicide.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example from patient records. For CAMHS, data on referral and waiting times are collected in the NHS Digital Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services secondary uses data set with Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS).

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers ensure that systems are in place for CAMHS professionals to assess children and young people with suspected severe depression but not at high risk of suicide within a maximum of 2 weeks of referral.

CAMHS professionals assess children and young people with suspected severe depression but not at high risk of suicide within a maximum of 2 weeks of referral.

Commissioners ensure that they commission CAMHS to assess children and young people with suspected severe depression but not at high risk of suicide within a maximum of 2 weeks of referral.

Children and young people with suspected severe depression but not at high risk of suicide are assessed within a maximum of 2 weeks of being referred to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).

Source guidance

Depression in children and young people: identification and management (2019) NICE guideline NG134, recommendation 1.6.1

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

The time frame of 2 weeks is based on consensus of expert opinion.

Severe depression

ICD‑10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders describes severe depression as 7 or more depressive symptoms, with or without psychotic symptoms.

Assessment

An assessment by CAMHS is likely to include but is not limited to:

  • assessment of diagnosis

  • initiation of treatment.

High risk of suicide

NICE's guideline on depression in children and young people defines suicidal ideation as thoughts about suicide or of taking action to end one's own life. For the purposes of this quality standard high risk of suicide could include, but is not limited to, children and young people with current active suicidal plans or thoughts.