(UK) Watford: NHS spending $32B US on student mental health needs

Jan 3, 2019, Watford Observer: Watford MP announces extra funding for mental health support teams in Herts https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/17333266.watford-mp-announces-extra-funding-for-mental-health-support-teams-in-herts/ Young people in Hertfordshire will benefit from “quick access” mental health support, according to an MP. Richard Harrington announced today two new mental health support teams will work with schools and colleges [high schools] in the area to deliver support to children and young people with a new four-week wait time limit as standard. The teams will be paid for using part of the £20.5 billion [$32B US dollars] being put into the NHS. … Support teams will comprise “education mental health practitioners” supervised by NHS staff from the children’s mental health workforce. … “I’ve been told by teachers that, in many instances, they can be the first to spot signs of possible mental health conditions. That’s why we need to be able to work with schools and colleges, to deliver a much more joined up approach to mental healthcare. “Thanks to this extra Government funding, children and young people in Watford will soon be able to access the right care, without going through a lengthy referral process.”