In a study undertaken in July 2020, the first summer of the COVID pandemic, the NHS found that clinically significant mental health conditions amongst children had risen by 50% compared to three years earlier.
When the pandemic hit, mental health workers and practitioners supporting children and youth were under unprecedented pressure, and needed support, fast. In the United Kingdom, one in six children aged 5-19 were reported to have a probable mental health disorder in 2020; three years earlier, it was just one in nine. These vulnerable young people and their families needed access to quality mental health services, no matter where in the country they lived. Together, NHSX—England’s National Health Services health tech unit—IDEO, and Public Digital, IDEO’s sister company, collaborated to create a suite of digital resources that enabled organizations across the NHS to transform their services, allowing them to provide mental health support for more vulnerable children and young people.
Embracing digital transformation
Resources are helping children and young people access more options for their mental health care
