A new £1.5 million specialist centre will soon transform the way Lanarkshire’s children and young people receive mental health care.
The new outpatient facility in Hamilton, scheduled to open in July, will treat young people aged 18 years old and younger who are experiencing mental health issues.
Based at Udston Hospital, the specially designed centre will offer services including:
- child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) assessment;
- neurodevelopmental treatments;
- talking treatments;
- psychiatry;
- medication.
The child and adolescent mental health service, hosted by Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, assesses and treats young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.
The new centre is a completely new facility specifically for young people and has been designed with input from them and their families. It will feature a calming atmosphere reflecting the hospital gardens and nearby woods. The service’s dedicated specialist engagement officer will work with the CAMHS youth forum to help shape the artwork young people want to see.
Margaret Thomson, head of health, Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “This new specialist centre will be an important part of the new, modern mental health service for Lanarkshire’s young people.
“We’re dedicated to ensuring we deliver services that make a positive impact on peoples’ lives. Our new facility will ensure we see young people in an environment that puts them at ease and is designed specifically for, and by, them.
“We’re always working hard to improve the service and listen to feedback from the young people we see. This centre will help us deliver a more comprehensive service for young people in Lanarkshire who are referred by other health staff, social work and GPs.”
