Infant mental health services threatened by cuts to funding

Dr Shirley Gracias, a consultant in infant, child and adolescent psychiatry, and ex-chair of the Association for Infant Mental Health UK (AIMH UK), commented following the International Association for the Study of Attachment, which took place at the end of August.

She said, 'I am alarmed by the approach being taken by some in the NHS towards the mental health of infants. Helping parents to form attachments with their babies is being seen as a dispensable luxury, with funding being withdrawn. Money is being channelled into only providing services for older children or adolescents in whom problems are already entrenched, and services for babies are being shut down. This goes counter to the expressed view of the coalition Government that prevention is better than cure.'

The Government launched a cross-party, independent review of early intervention in July, emphasising the importance of tackling the root cause of social problems 'rather than spend years tackling the symptoms' (News, 28 July).

Dr Gracias, who has worked for a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) in Wiltshire and now runs a social enterprise company to provide infant mental health services in areas that lack them, added, 'I would welcome work within the Government to ensure that services for infants and their parents are not pruned away by commissioners who do not fully understand the impact of the early years.'

Robin Balbernie, consultant child psychotherapist at Gloucestershire CAMHS, said, 'While we have not yet seen these cuts here, our service is up for review in March and we do not know if it will continue. It's difficult not knowing as we are snowed under with referrals and most of our work is long-term. It's good the Government seems committed to early intervention, but I just don't know what they think is happening on the ground.'