3 predictions that will shape children’s mental health care in 2023

What’s another year?
Will 2023 be a tipping point in the transformation of children’s mental health support?

With a historic NHS mental health treatment gap, finally, there is national recognition that Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) can help to close this gap. Nowhere is this more necessary than in supporting children and young people’s mental health. 

An all-time high number of children and young people (CYP) in the UK are now receiving psychological support, which is encouraging thanks to the renewed commitment set out in the NHS Long-Term Plan (LTP). However, need continues to outstrip the capacity of overstretched services to provide adequate solutions and increased visibility regarding the mental health investment standard beyond 2024 is needed

It remains unacceptable that not every child or young person gets the help they need when and where they need it. Some do not get any support at all because their difficulties do not meet ever increasing eligibility thresholds for support / treatment and triaging priorities, or they are stuck on a long waiting list, resulting in their problems escalating – sometimes to a crisis point.

Here are 3 predictions that will shape children’s mental health care in 2023:

1. Digital health interventions will shift from “being nice to have” or “add-ons” to become integral interventions, which are fully integrated into standard care.   

Digital mental health interventions for children and young people have demonstrated their potential to address a variety of mental health issues and increase access to evidence-based care. Children are digital natives who access devices on a daily basis whether at home or at school and are likely to be more comfortable using digital tools to support their mental health, offering choice next to face to face interactions. As commissioners and providers face increased budgetary pressures to demonstrate improved outcomes and that services represent value for money, digital mental health interventions will increasingly provide cost effective and scalable solutions that enable real-time tracking and collection of data on intervention progress and outcomes assessment. 

2. Prioritisation of digital upskilling of commissioners/practitioners to enable digital health technologies to add value.  

Digital transformation requires a digitally confident workforce to enable the rapid adoption of validated digital tools ensuring that no one is ‘left behind’ as transformation happens. Highly skilled and highly valued NHS staff working with children and young people who want to make a real and lasting difference in their lives are hindered by a lack of confidence, practical experience and understanding of how to embed new technologies. Digital transformation is not a simple matter of technical change but requires on-going training and development to close knowledge and skill gaps. Mandatory training in the required skillsets in digital will equip staff with the right skills to embed digital health technologies and realise the benefits that digital interventions provide for service users and service providers. 

3. Digital health technologies reporting and analytics will become smarter - evidence generation will be an essential.       

Increased adoption of digital health interventions and other technology-driven services in children’s mental health provides valuable real world evidence and rich data sources. User-generated data will play an increasing role in digital health transformation. Data captured (especially in real time) by digital health technologies will improve service planning by aligning capacity more closely with demand but also by understanding real-world condition management, enabling both informed decision making and the delivery of more personalised care. Real-world data will ensure increased insights and understanding of how users objectively interact with a digital health intervention and validate efficacy. They will also support improved service user care and experience through informed care decision support and responsive pathways. Improved and smarter reporting will help commissioners and providers to understand the impact of the intervention on service delivery, care pathways and outcomes. 

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