This year for my birthday, I am asking friends and family for donations towards a cause very close to my heart – Best For You. We all know that the mental health crisis among young people has been growing for years. Best For You is working in innovative ways that hadn’t been tried before, while making the most of the wealth of knowledge, experience and support that already exists within the NHS. Find out more about this amazing programme below.

As part of the programme, we have built state-of-the-art NHS spaces, creating outstanding environments in which professionals can care for young people’s mental and physical health in new and bespoke ways.

Arc is a purpose-built space that is home to Arc Day Programme, which provides a one-of-a-kind model of family-based treatment for young people with eating disorders. It also hosts a range of wellbeing programmes run by Best For You partner organisations. Outside of Arc Day Programme opening hours and the eating disorder clinic, we run a series of drop-in and community-led interventions.

The Reuben Young People’s Centre looks to address the need for coordinated and integrated care for young people in acute settings. We have updated and redesigned the relevant areas of our emergency department and ward environments to provide best-in-class settings, which, combined with new models of care, will ensure that everyone receives the care and experience that is required for their individual circumstances.

The need for both of these spaces is well-documented in young people and families’ first-hand experiences of mental health treatment, as well as in research.

In addition, Best For You brings together a wide range of tried-and-tested digital resources on one website, providing 24/7 support for young people. It also connects organisations within and beyond the NHS to provide early intervention support, clinical assessment and specialist treatment through a range of community partnerships.

The project is run in partnership by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, West London NHS Trust, and CW+. It is being evaluated by academic experts at Imperial College.