The Kent and Medway Local Transformation Plan

The Kent and Medway children’s, young people and young adults emotional wellbeing and mental health Local Transformation Plan 2022

The NHS Long Term Plan sets out the priorities for expanding children and young people’s mental health services.

The 2022 plan is an addition (or addendum) to the 2021 plan. It focuses on providing assurance against 8 questions we were asked to consider by NHS England. It includes cross-references to other strategic documents including our 2021 plan and provides new and updated information to make it current.

Alongside the 2022 plan, we have also produced this summary to highlight some of the services available to children, young people and young adults in Kent and Medway. We also produced this outline of progress since our 2021 local transformation plan refresh. 

It aims to widen access to services closer to home, reduce unnecessary delays and deliver specialist mental healthcare, which is based on a clearer understanding of young people’s needs and provided in ways that work better for them.

To deliver these priorities, Kent and Medway have planned how services will be delivered locally.

Joint Kent and Medway plan

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, in April 2020, the 8 Kent and Medway clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) merged to become NHS Kent and Medway CCG. While we have always worked closely, the merger provides a greater opportunity to focus on making sure children, young people, young adults and their families receive a consistent offer, regardless of where they live in Kent and Medway. 

In this first joint plan, we show an understanding of the challenges in delivering change and the risks to the local transformation plan programme itself. 

Priorities

Our priorities for 2022 are:

  • identifying and providing support for children and young people at greatest risk
  • supporting children and young people with neurodevelopmental needs or learning difficulties
  • improving transition and increasing support available to young adults
  • increasing partnership coordination of early intervention and prevention interventions 
  • reducing inequality in access rates across Kent and Medway
  • responding to COVID-19 in line with emerging evidence and responding to immediate system pressures
  • better understanding outcomes for children and young people from their interventions and the impact of services.

We have produced this summary to highlight some of the services available to children, young people and young adults in Kent and Medway.

More about the local transformation plans for children and young people's emotional wellbeing and mental health