Children and young people: joint statement

At the end of December, the College was joined by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in issuing a joint statement about meeting the mental health needs of children and young people in acute hospitals.

Over the course of the pandemic, the number and acuity of children and young people with mental health needs presenting to emergency departments or being admitted to paediatric wards has grown considerably.

With colleagues across specialties under immense pressure, the Colleges have been working together to address this challenge, including through engagement with NHS England.

Directed at frontline staff, the joint statement emphasises the need to recognise that these patients are all our patients and the importance of building collaborative relationships to ensure they receive the right treatment, in the right place, at the right time.

Back to 13 January 2022 Members' update.