Abstract
Specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) must make decisions about what treatments to provide to whom, when, where and how, within limited budgets. This raises questions about how services make such decisions, to best meet the mental health needs of their catchment. The methods and practices of Health Economics, a field with considerable expertise in measuring performance in health systems, can help CAMHS make better informed decisions regarding service provision. This paper identifies a process through a set of focused questions to help CAMHS examine and improve their performance. The aspects covered are service profile, costs, conceptualisation of outcomes and identification of value for money. The recommended approach should help CAMHS redirect resources to maximise benefits for their catchment population.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 71-75 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Children and Youth Services Review |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published or Issued - Jan 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- CAMHS
- Costs
- Health economics
- Outcomes
- Performance measurement
- Service profile
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Sociology and Political Science