The Lanzarote Health Services Management, attached to the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, has created and implemented a Mental Health Home Care Service for Children and Adolescents to assist minors with severe mental disorders.
This project aimed at children and adolescents began operating last October, and for its development, a multidisciplinary team composed of eight professionals from the areas of Psychiatry, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, and Social Work has been hired, with the objective of carrying out a comprehensive approach to the patient in their own home.
This is a pioneering initiative in the autonomous community that will allow for the **priority care of minors referred from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit** who present a severe mental disorder
Close attention
The team values and works with minors both in their homes with their families, and in natural environments where their presence is clinically relevant. This allows for close management of the various circumstances or difficult situations that may arise on a daily basis.
In this way, professionals design an intervention plan for each case, in order to achieve clinical stabilization and progressive improvement of symptoms; the objective always being for patients to be able to lead as normal a life as possible despite the presence of a mental disorder.
This project is partially funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) 2021-2027 for social inclusion, child guarantee, and poverty reduction programs. It has been driven by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health unit with the aim of increasing the frequency and intensity of interventions based on each minor's needs and responding to the demand detected on the island.
6,471 consultations attended at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health unit
Throughout this year and up to October, professionals at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health unit, located at the Tías Health Center, have attended a total of 6,471 consultations, of which 3,693 are for Psychiatry, 1,664 for Psychology, 700 correspond to Nursing consultations, and 414 to Occupational Therapy.
The unit, which has a specific and differentiated area for patients under 18 years of age with mental health conditions, offers a comprehensive approach that requires specialized training and infrastructure independent of that intended for adult care.
Their specific functions focus on the detection, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients, prioritizing severe mental disorders, providing support to families and Primary Care with a consultancy service, as well as carrying out psychoeducation tasks.