1055 Bringing our HEEADSSS together - prioritising the voices of children and young people

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood 2021-10, Vol.106 (Suppl 1), p.A208-A209
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abstracts; Child Health; Children; Communication Skills; COVID-19; Death; Drug Use; Health care; Health problems; Medical records; Mental disorders; Mental health; Pandemics; Patients; Pediatrics; Self-injury; Sexuality; Social interactions; Suicide; Suicides & suicide attempts; Young Adults
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-rcpch.363

Collaborators: Leah Simpson, Margaret Williams, Chloe Batchford, Alexandra Davison, Pamela Dawson, Ashley Holt, Shaheen Ghumra, Anandi Singh, Kiran Raju, Marwa Alkotamy, Mohammed Haque, Luke Hailston, Alice Packham, Rachel O’Sullivan, Laura Kelly, Lauren Brace, Jayne Thompson, Alec Rapson, Samuel Danaher, Samuel Jack, Teim Eyo, Kirsten Brown, Mica Skilton, Moataz Badawy, Ahmed Abdella, Joshua Meremikwu, Mofoluwake Faturoti, Mushfiq Sahebzada, Priscilla Wong, Alexis Perry, Thomas Baird, Marianne Yousif, Lesley Peers, Helen McDermott, Stuart HartshornBackgroundChildren and young people (CYP) are increasingly attending acute paediatric services due to mental health difficulties. 50% of all mental health problems are established by 14 years of age and 75% by 24 years. Underinvestment in mental health has been a longstanding concern, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic through extra stress caused by prolonged school closures, social isolation and a lack of access to usual support services.In 2020, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health highlighted that suicide is now the leading cause of death in England and Wales for children aged 5–19 years, emphasising the need to prioritise and improve mental health. Paediatricians must develop the knowledge and skills to identify, support and make appropriate referrals for common mental health problems. HEEADSSS is a well-known psychosocial screening tool with eight domains, used to identify potential or actual harm.ObjectivesEstablish whether CYP within the West Midlands, UK are receiving adequate psychosocial assessments on hospital admission and whether healthcare professionals are signposting to relevant services.The primary outcome was the percentage of CYP with documented evidence of being offered a HEEADSSS assessment.MethodsA regional prospective audit across nine hospitals was performed for three days per week from 4st -31st January 2021. A standardised proforma was used to gather information from medical records of all CYP aged >12 years admitted to paediatric wards. Pooled data were analysed using Microsoft Excel.Results231 patients were included. The median age was 14 years old (range 12–17 years). 163(71%) were female. 202(87%) had no known communication difficulties. 53(23%) were known to CAMHS and 43(19%) to social care. 78/231(34%) were admitted with mental health as the presenting complaint.35/231(15%) were documented to be given the opportunity to be spoken to alone; 29(82%) accepted.No departme