Compared to physical health services, data for mental health services are less comprehensive and granular. The Department and NHSE acknowledged that data for mental health services still lag behind that for physical health services, but argued that they have taken “powerful” measures. For example, the Department and NHSE told us that, historically, the use of block contracts for mental health services was a disincentive to collecting cost data, but that they have shifted towards more of an ac...

Compared to physical health services, data for mental health services are less comprehensive and granular. The Department and NHSE acknowledged that data for mental health services still lag behind that for physical health services, but argued that they have taken “powerful” measures. For example, the Department and NHSE told us that, historically, the use of block contracts for mental health services was a disincentive to collecting cost data, but that they have shifted towards more of an activity-based payment system for mental health.19 Type: conclusion | Number: 10 | Response status: accepted Government response: 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Target implementation date: January 2024 2.2. NHS England is working to improve the recording of information on patient need, as well as other areas, through the implementation of the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS) version 6 in Ap