Mental health

These clinical guidelines relate to Children and Young People’s Mental Health and have been collaboratively drafted by NW London Integrated Care System’s MHLDA Programme and clinical leads from Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust and West London NHS Trust. 

Our aim is to support primary care clinicians’ awareness and confidence in relation to:
•    The best approaches to take when discussing and assessing a young person’s mental health.
•    The circumstances in which a referral to NHS-funded or local authority-funded secondary care services (such as community mental health support) is likely to be the best outcome for the patient.
•    The broader support that is available to young people in addition to NHS-funded or local authority-funded secondary care services. For example, this includes Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), Kooth, Best for You NHS, and The Mix.  

There are five sections:
1)    Principles of Practice for CYP Mental Health in Primary Care
2)    HEEADSSS Assessment
3)    Decision-Making Tools
4)    Signposting & Waiting Well
5)    NICE Guidelines for Common Presentations

We hope that these guidelines will help clinicians in supporting the health and wellbeing of young people who present to primary care with mental ill-health.

Please note that these guidelines are intended to be a first public iteration. The information within is correct as of April 2023. All feedback, particularly from clinical colleagues working in primary care, is welcome: to give feedback, please contact nhsnwl.mhlda@nhs.net with the subject heading “CYP Mental Health Clinical Guidelines Feedback”.

All feedback will be reviewed and considered for the second iteration of the guidelines, which is intended to be disseminated in Q2 2023/24” to “All feedback will be reviewed and considered for the second iteration of the guidelines, which is intended to be disseminated in Q2 2024/25”.

Read the guidelines here

Abnormal movements

ADHD

Anxiety

ASD

Depression