Award Title: CYP as One – Investigation in how to further support the community through digital innovation
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: With this research, we are trying to find out whether the web-based platform - "CYP as One" - we have created https://www.seftonliverpoolcamhs.com is the following:  1) Is the platform good value for money?   2) What do members of harder to reach communities think of the platform?   3) Is there anything missing from the platform that stakeholders would like, and if so, what is it?   4) Do communities require anything to ensure that they are included as technology plays more of a part in these services?  We aim to use this research to develop the platform further to ensure that the views of patients/carers/members of the public are included ensuring that it continues to be a platform for our community developed and designed by the community.  Children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS) at Liverpool and Sefton Clinical Commissioning Groups referrals were paper-based. Paper-based referrals are inefficient and generate delays between appointments, which negatively affects children and young people's (CYP) mental health. Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust co-created the "CYP as One" with partner agencies to improve mental health services access for children and young people. "CYP as One" went live in May 2021. However, due to COVID-19, we could not involve all of the communities we hoped to. Therefore, we want to do this now to ensure the current product is appropriate for our population and ensure future developments meet the needs of all community members it supports. We must do this now as the number of children and young people whose mental health has been impacted by the pandemic is only increasing.  To assess if the online referral systems work better than the paper-based system, we will compare how the platform is working now and how the paper-based system worked previously for the same period of 12 months. We will be comparing health outcomes such as the number of referrals, length of waiting for a first appointment, and staff and patient satisfaction with the process. Furthermore, we will ask a diverse group of young people from underrepresented or disadvantaged communities, what they think about the platform and how it can be improved. We will use that information to further the development of the platform.  "CYP as One" was originally co-created via a partnership of agencies, including Health, CYP, parents, and third sector agencies. Building on this work, the project will engage with CYP from diverse communities, including from ethnically diverse backgrounds, digital inequalities and deprivation. At the onset of the project, the co-creation group will be established underpinned by smaller interest-focus groups (e.g. ethnic minority, LGBTQ+). This process will focus on co-producing a platform that will meet the diverse need of the city region. We will ensure that harder-to-reach communities' views are hardcoded into the new platform.  The research process and findings will be used to create the blueprint for future versions of the platform incorporating the views of a more diverse community, ensuring those are incorporated into the Integrated Care System (ICS). Our findings will be shared with the partner agencies, CYP and their families. Furthermore, we will share our research with the clinic, and academic communicates via conferences and journal articles.

Lay Abstract: With this research, we are trying to find out whether the web-based platform - "CYP as One" - we have created https://www.seftonliverpoolcamhs.com is the following:  1) Is the platform good value for money?   2) What do members of harder to reach communities think of the platform?   3) Is there anything missing from the platform that stakeholders would like, and if so, what is it?   4) Do communities require anything to ensure that they are included as technology plays more of a part in these services?  We aim to use this research to develop the platform further to ensure that the views of patients/carers/members of the public are included ensuring that it continues to be a platform for our community developed and designed by the community.  Children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS) at Liverpool and Sefton Clinical Commissioning Groups referrals were paper-based. Paper-based referrals are inefficient and generate delays between appointments, which negatively affects children and young people's (CYP) mental health. Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust co-created the "CYP as One" with partner agencies to improve mental health services access for children and young people. "CYP as One" went live in May 2021. However, due to COVID-19, we could not involve all of the communities we hoped to. Therefore, we want to do this now to ensure the current product is appropriate for our population and ensure future developments meet the needs of all community members it supports. We must do this now as the number of children and young people whose mental health has been impacted by the pandemic is only increasing.  To assess if the online referral systems work better than the paper-based system, we will compare how the platform is working now and how the paper-based system worked previously for the same period of 12 months. We will be comparing health outcomes such as the number of referrals, length of waiting for a first appointment, and staff and patient satisfaction with the process. Furthermore, we will ask a diverse group of young people from underrepresented or disadvantaged communities, what they think about the platform and how it can be improved. We will use that information to further the development of the platform.  "CYP as One" was originally co-created via a partnership of agencies, including Health, CYP, parents, and third sector agencies. Building on this work, the project will engage with CYP from diverse communities, including from ethnically diverse backgrounds, digital inequalities and deprivation. At the onset of the project, the co-creation group will be established underpinned by smaller interest-focus groups (e.g. ethnic minority, LGBTQ+). This process will focus on co-producing a platform that will meet the diverse need of the city region. We will ensure that harder-to-reach communities' views are hardcoded into the new platform.  The research process and findings will be used to create the blueprint for future versions of the platform incorporating the views of a more diverse community, ensuring those are incorporated into the Integrated Care System (ICS). Our findings will be shared with the partner agencies, CYP and their families. Furthermore, we will share our research with the clinic, and academic communicates via conferences and journal articles.

Research Activity Codes: 8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health Categories: MENTAL HEALTH