Tic disorders are common neurodevelopmental conditions in children and young people. However, although evidence-based support and interventions exist, families often struggle to access these for their children, in part due to a lack of assessment and treatment pathways in UK healthcare services. This article describes a quality improvement project involving the development and implementation of a tics pathway in a generic children and young people’s mental health (CYP MH) service in the UK. This process included building appropriate knowledge, skills and confidence in the team; designing and implementing a pathway, including assessment/diagnosis, provision of psychoeducation/resources, as well as further group and individual treatment where needed; and reflecting on and adapting the process with the support of specialist consultation. The introduction of the tics pathway has resulted in reduced waiting times in all areas of the pathway for those referred to the service, including assessment, diagnosis and the provision of evidence-based support. Feedback from children, young people and families has been very positive. This paper demonstrates that with minimal training and consultation, it is possible for a generic CYP MH service to assess and provide evidence-based resources and support for those referred with tic disorders. It is hoped this paper will provide a model of service delivery that can be utilised by other services, enabling them to support families within their local communities and make a meaningful difference in the lives of children, young people and their families.
Key learning aims(1) To raise awareness about the prevalence of tic disorders in children and young people, and the existence of effective evidence-based support and treatment.
(2) To highlight challenges faced by families seeking timely and local diagnosis and support.
(3) To provide a model of service delivery for the evidence-based assessment and treatment of tic disorders in a generic CYP MH service that can be utilised by other services.
(4) To demonstrate that the development and implementation of a tics pathway can be straightforward, cost-effective, and hugely beneficial to children, young people and families.
(5) To inspire other CYP MH services to provide support of this kind, thus increasing the provision of timely support for children, young people and families with tic disorders in their local communities.
