Managing demand and capacity within child and adolescent mental health services: an evaluation of the Choice and Partnership Approach

This study evaluated the implementation of the Choice and Partnership Approach (CAPA), a clinical system designed to improve the management of demand and capacity within child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). The study aimed to investigate how CAPA had been implemented within CAMHS in England, to explore the experiences of staff working within teams who had implemented the system, and to determine the benefits and challenges of implementing CAPA in practice.The evaluation was conducted in three phases: an initial screening survey was sent out to all CAMHS teams in England; a follow‐up questionnaire was then sent to all teams implementing CAPA; and interviews and focus groups were then conducted with 62 service managers, clinicians and admin staff within six CAMHS teams who had implemented the system. A total of 213 screening questionnaires were completed, and 97 teams were identified as implementing CAPA; 57 of these teams completed follow‐up questionnaires.The results showed that, if well managed and implemented, demand and capacity models such as CAPA appear to provide teams with structured, formal planning mechanisms. However, if implemented poorly and without adequate management, then these models could contribute to confusion and overworking amongst staff. This investigation found the presence of facilitative management to be absolutely crucial for successful implementation of models of demand and capacity.