GP: ‘Teenagers at risk due to lack of tailored mental health services’

Doctor says patients with serious disorders such as anorexia nervosa are being ‘bounced back’ to GPs

Dr David Turner is a GP in Hertfordshire
“A particularly serious problem has arisen with the provision of mental healthcare for children and adolescents over the last 18 months. This is the first time in my 25-year career as a doctor I have felt the need to speak out publicly. I and many other GPs feel the issue has become critical and it is only a matter of time before a child dies.

“Provision of mental healthcare by child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) was never great pre-Covid. Since the pandemic it has become appalling. There are two main reasons for this: underinvestment in mental health services for decades and a spike in demand.

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