The newly established position has been created to provide national clinical leadership across the developing ‘High Intensity Pathway’ and support the ongoing transformation of specialised children and young people’s mental health services. The role aligns with NHS England’s ambition to improve outcomes for children and young people requiring the highest levels of mental health care, promote equitable access to services, strengthen clinical networks, and support the implementation of the new CYP inpatient transformation programme.
Jamie-Leigh, who currently serves as Quality Lead at Cygnet Hospital Sheffield, was selected in recognition of her extensive expertise, proven leadership experience, and unwavering commitment to improving care for children and young people with complex and high-intensity mental health needs.
In her new position, Jamie-Leigh will work alongside Co-Clinical Lead Josephine Holland and collaborate closely with NHS England, provider collaboratives, commissioners, clinicians and wider system partners to drive improvements across the High Intensity Pathway. Together, they will provide clinical leadership to the National CYPMH High Intensity Pathway Clinical Network, support equitable and timely access to specialist care, contribute to national policy development, facilitate service transformation, and develop shared approaches to complex case management and pathway improvement.
A key element of Jamie-Leigh’s appointment is her responsibility for bringing together the Low Secure Unit (LSU) and Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) networks to strengthen collaboration and drive innovation across services.
Launching a New National Network
To formally launch the new High Intensity Network, Jamie-Leigh partnered with NHS England colleagues and leaders from the Quality Transformation Programme for CYPMH to develop and deliver a joint networking event in London on 8 October.
The event showcased the annual review of the highly successful CAMHS Intensive Support Services pilot at Cygnet Hospital Sheffield, highlighting the positive impact of the service’s High Intensity Environment model. The presentation generated significant interest among attendees and demonstrated the organisation’s role in pioneering innovative approaches to care.
Building on this momentum, Jamie-Leigh presented the work again at a National Provider Collaborative event on 15 October, where the model continued to attract enthusiasm and support from professionals across the sector.
Driving Shared Learning Across the Sector
Looking ahead, Cygnet Hospital Sheffield and Cygnet Hospital Bury will come together on 11 November for a dedicated day of shared learning and service review. The event will focus on strengthening and further developing the model of care, reinforcing Cygnet’s commitment to continuous improvement and collaboration.
The growing interest in the High Intensity model has also led to increasing national attention, with PICUs, LSUs and General Adolescent Units (GAUs) from across the country planning visits to Sheffield to learn from the service’s innovative approach.
Shaping the Future of Mental Health Care
Through enhanced networking opportunities, shared learning, early insight into national developments, and the ability to influence future policy and service design, Cygnet will continue to play a leading role in delivering excellence in specialist mental health care.
As services across England work together to transform care for some of the country’s most vulnerable children and young people, Cygnet Hospital Sheffield is proud to be at the forefront of that journey, helping to shape the future of high-intensity mental health services and setting the standard for innovation, collaboration and quality care.
Jamie- Leigh said “I am incredibly proud of the work being delivered by our teams at Cygnet Hospital Sheffield. The national interest in our High Intensity model demonstrates what can be achieved when passionate professionals come together with a shared commitment to improving care for young people.
By embracing change, listening to young people and their families and continually adapting our approach, we have created a model that is driving innovation and improving outcomes. We look forward to continuing to lead the way and share our learning with colleagues across the country.”