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Mental Health Bill Reform

The Department of Health and Social Care is reforming mental health policy to address waiting times for psychological therapy, child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), and eating disorder support, while assessing the impact of changes to the Mental Health Investment Standard on service access and funding for PTSD services. The reform is active and focused on improving NHS mental health provision and reducing treatment delays.

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2026

32 events
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection in (a) prison and (b) the community have been diagnosed with post-tra

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection in (a) prison and (b) the community have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a consequence of …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has assessed trends in the level of families being advised by NHS services to leave CAMHS waiting lists to pursue Right

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has assessed trends in the level of families being advised by NHS services to leave CAMHS waiting lists to pursue Right to Choose assessments.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for patients referred for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention therapy fo

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for patients referred for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention therapy for OCD within NHS mental health services in England.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to enable patients with eating disorders in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough constituency to access specialist services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to enable patients with eating disorders in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough constituency to access specialist services.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the provision of specialist eating disorder support for patients in Ellesmere Port and Bromb

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the provision of specialist eating disorder support for patients in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough constituency.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients referred to care outside the local area for patients with eating disorders in Ellesmere Po

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients referred to care outside the local area for patients with eating disorders in Ellesmere Port and Bromborough constituency.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of talking-therapy-based interventions for young people previously charged with v

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of talking-therapy-based interventions for young people previously charged with violent offences involving (a) weapons and (b) bladed ar

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health crisis and inpatient provision in Northamptonshire following changes to services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health crisis and inpatient provision in Northamptonshire following changes to services at St Andrew’s Hospital.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients affected by changes to services at St Andrew’s Hospital in Northampton are transfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients affected by changes to services at St Andrew’s Hospital in Northampton are transferred safely to appropriate alternative mental health …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist treatment for people with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) withi

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist treatment for people with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) within community mental health services.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children do not lose clinical oversight, including access to medication reviews, as a resul

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children do not lose clinical oversight, including access to medication reviews, as a result of being removed from CAMHS waiting …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that children whose needs are escalating while awaiting assessment receive interim support

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that children whose needs are escalating while awaiting assessment receive interim support from local NHS services.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned reductions in share of NHS spending going to mental health services for thr

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned reductions in share of NHS spending going to mental health services for three consecutive years on rural …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the Mental Health Investment Standard on access to mental health services in

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the Mental Health Investment Standard on access to mental health services in Surrey Heath constituency.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care Context · primary home: ADHD treatment linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve ADHD diagnosis timeframes, (b) reduce the waiting list for ADHD medication and (c) improve support for

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve ADHD diagnosis timeframes, (b) reduce the waiting list for ADHD medication and (c) improve support for patients and their families whilst …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is children and young people diagnosed with depression to access child and adolescent mental health services in

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is children and young people diagnosed with depression to access child and adolescent mental health services in the last 12 months for which data …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve data on the (a) severity of, (b) functional impact of and (c) outcomes among those diagnosed with atte

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve data on the (a) severity of, (b) functional impact of and (c) outcomes among those diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are currently on waiting lists for ADHD or autism assessments, and what the average waiti

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are currently on waiting lists for ADHD or autism assessments, and what the average waiting time is.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding or resources to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board to enable the resumption of A

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding or resources to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board to enable the resumption of ADHD and autism assessments before April …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance to Integrated Care Boards on maximum acceptable waiting times for ADHD and autism assessments for c

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance to Integrated Care Boards on maximum acceptable waiting times for ADHD and autism assessments for children.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board to pause Right to Cho

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board to pause Right to Choose pathways for ADHD …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the pause on school attendance, mental health and family stability among children await

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the pause on school attendance, mental health and family stability among children awaiting ADHD and autism assessments.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
24 Apr 2026 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the potential impact of the changes introduced in December 2025 to accreditation

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the potential impact of the changes introduced in December 2025 to accreditation requirements for counsellors on the level of waiting …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2025

8 events
2 Dec 2025 | Committee report linked

Continuity of care is a necessity for people with severe mental illness. It is essential to the delivery of high-quality care. When it is present, it prevents crisis, builds trust, and supports recovery. When it is absent, it fragments support, burdens families, and puts lives at risk. This continuity must be built into the design of mental health services, not left to chance. At the moment it is too easy for people to fall out of care, in some cases being discharged when there is a need for ...

Continuity of care is a necessity for people with severe mental illness. It is essential to the delivery of high-quality care. When it is present, it prevents crisis, builds trust, and supports recovery. When it is absent, it fragments support, …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
2 Dec 2025 | Committee report linked

Our conclusions in this Chapter try to reflect what service users told us they wanted. This must be reflected in service design. As new models of care are commissioned and implemented, these must be co-designed with experts by experience to ensure services deliver the high quality care such users need and deserve. (Recommendation, Paragraph 60) Recent reforms to Community Mental Health Services

Our conclusions in this Chapter try to reflect what service users told us they wanted. This must be reflected in service design. As new models of care are commissioned and implemented, these must be co-designed with experts by experience to …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
2 Dec 2025 | Committee report linked

We believe the Community Mental Health Framework sets out the right vision for Community Mental Health Services. However, evidence submitted to this inquiry reveals significant gaps between its ambitions and its implementation across England. We want to see a renewed commitment by the Government to realise the Framework’s ambitions. As the Government seeks to further transform services, it must avoid repeating past mistakes and ensure lessons from previous reforms are fully learned. We believ...

We believe the Community Mental Health Framework sets out the right vision for Community Mental Health Services. However, evidence submitted to this inquiry reveals significant gaps between its ambitions and its implementation across England. We want to see a renewed …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
2 Dec 2025 | Committee report linked

Delivering real change and achieving parity of esteem in mental health care requires dismantling the current fragmented system and reimagining service design and delivery. The 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre 75 pilots seem to be genuinely transformative. The experience from Trieste, and early evidence from Barnsley Street, show that radically different, individualised, community-based care gets results. We also heard that the model shows possible cost savings for the wider system. Rea...

Delivering real change and achieving parity of esteem in mental health care requires dismantling the current fragmented system and reimagining service design and delivery. The 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre 75 pilots seem to be genuinely transformative. The experience from …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
2 Dec 2025 | Committee report linked

We welcome the commitment in the 10 Year Health Plan to develop a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for mental health, with a focus on the needs of people with severe and enduring mental illness in particular. However, without a clear timeline for publication, this work risks slipping down the political agenda. To ensure progress and accountability, the Government should set a deadline, in its response to this report, for when in 2026 the MSF for mental health will be published. (Recommendation,...

We welcome the commitment in the 10 Year Health Plan to develop a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for mental health, with a focus on the needs of people with severe and enduring mental illness in particular. However, without a clear …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
2 Dec 2025 | Committee report linked

We echo Lord Darzi’s assessment that there is a fundamental problem in the distribution of resources between mental and physical health. While we recognise the welcome increase in real-terms mental health spend this year, we were disappointed to see the overall share go down. We hope this is a one-off and we would ask for a clear commitment from government towards parity of esteem between mental and physical health. (Conclusion, Paragraph 175)

We echo Lord Darzi’s assessment that there is a fundamental problem in the distribution of resources between mental and physical health. While we recognise the welcome increase in real-terms mental health spend this year, we were disappointed to see the …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
2 Dec 2025 | Committee report linked

We recommend the Mental Health Investment Standard be retained beyond 2025–26. The Government should commit to the Standard by the end of this calendar year to give systems greater certainty. Then, the Government should legislate to make the Standard a statutory requirement, clearly defining its scope, measures for evaluation and accountability for systems in meeting it. (Recommendation, Paragraph 185)

We recommend the Mental Health Investment Standard be retained beyond 2025–26. The Government should commit to the Standard by the end of this calendar year to give systems greater certainty. Then, the Government should legislate to make the Standard a …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2024

5 events
4 Oct 2024 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to integrate the recommendations of the Lampard inquiry into mental health services nationwide. Answer: The Lampard Statutory Inquiry began public hearings in September 2024. The …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK · ↓
21 May 2024 | Committee report linked

The Government has fallen short on its commitment to halve the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people inappropriately detained in mental health hospitals. Promises to bring forward a new Mental Health Bill to help address this concern have gone unmet. Meanwhile, the number of autistic people in mental health settings and exposed to the harm that those settings can present is increasing.

The Government has fallen short on its commitment to halve the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people inappropriately detained in mental health hospitals. Promises to bring forward a new Mental Health Bill to help address this …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
17 May 2024 | Committee report linked

Once again, we recommend that the Department leads a cross-government assessment of the scale of mental health difficulties amongst pupils and review the current provision of support available in schools and outside of them. The Government should conclude this review and report its findings by Autumn 2024. There then needs to be significant and well co-ordinated joint working across the Government and additional funding to ensure Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services provision is adequa...

Once again, we recommend that the Department leads a cross-government assessment of the scale of mental health difficulties amongst pupils and review the current provision of support available in schools and outside of them. The Government should conclude this review …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2023

21 events
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

Data and information for NHS mental health services still lags behind that for physical services. Service commissioners and providers need good data and information to manage and improve services, and this is also important to understand the impact and cost-effectiveness of services. Data on NHS mental health services have improved since 2015, and the NHS now regularly publishes data on service activity, spending and waiting times performance. But improvements to mental health data and inform...

Data and information for NHS mental health services still lags behind that for physical services. Service commissioners and providers need good data and information to manage and improve services, and this is also important to understand the impact and cost-effectiveness …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report Context · primary home: NHS policy linked

New integrated care boards and partnerships could struggle to prioritise mental health services and support, in the face of funding pressures and the need to reduce backlogs for physical health services. ICBs will be responsible for bringing forward many of the ambitious programmes for mental health services in their area, for example, ensuring data sharing across local NHS, local government and voluntary sector organisations, and workforce planning and deployment. Many of the challenges that...

New integrated care boards and partnerships could struggle to prioritise mental health services and support, in the face of funding pressures and the need to reduce backlogs for physical health services. ICBs will be responsible for bringing forward many of …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

There is still no clear definition of the end goal of ‘parity of esteem’ 12 years after the government first set out its ambitions. From 2011, the government set out long-term ambitions to improve support and services for people with mental health problems and achieve ‘parity of esteem’ between mental health and physical health services. While the number of people accessing NHS funded mental services substantially increased from 3.6 million in 2016–17 to 4.5 million in 2021–22, as reported by...

There is still no clear definition of the end goal of ‘parity of esteem’ 12 years after the government first set out its ambitions. From 2011, the government set out long-term ambitions to improve support and services for people with …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

The Department and NHS England have still not committed to rolling out waiting times standards to all mental health services. From 2015, NHSE introduced specific waiting times standards for three service areas – talking therapy services, early intervention in psychosis services and eating disorder services for children and young people. Unlike the standards for physical health services, the current standards for mental health only apply to a limited number of service areas; they do not cover ...

The Department and NHS England have still not committed to rolling out waiting times standards to all mental health services. From 2015, NHSE introduced specific waiting times standards for three service areas – talking therapy services, early intervention in psychosis …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

It is important to have the right data in place for mental health service commissioners and providers to manage and improve services, and to understand the cost effectiveness and impact of services, including patient experiences and outcomes.15 We highlighted data gaps for mental health services in our 2016 report Improving access to mental health services and recommended the Department and NHS take action, by 2018–19, to improve data on cost and performance, including data on service outcome...

It is important to have the right data in place for mental health service commissioners and providers to manage and improve services, and to understand the cost effectiveness and impact of services, including patient experiences and outcomes.15 We highlighted data …

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21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

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 …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

There is a continuing lack of robust data on patient outcomes and experiences for most mental health services. Of the 29 integrated care boards surveyed by the NAO, only four said they had all or most of the data they needed to assess patient and user experiences, and none of them felt this in relation to patient outcomes. The Department stressed to us that outcomes data for talking therapies—recovery rates—are collected. NHSE agreed with us on the need for more progress and assured us that i...

There is a continuing lack of robust data on patient outcomes and experiences for most mental health services. Of the 29 integrated care boards surveyed by the NAO, only four said they had all or most of the data they …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

When we asked what criteria it used to decide on investment in one area against another, NHSE explained the consultative approach it took to prioritise services but could 13 NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, Overview, Chapter 1, paragraph 26, and Table 5 14 Qq 147–148 15 Qq 31,102, 105, 108, 111 16 House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts report, Improving access to mental health services, Sixteenth report of session 2016–17 17 Q 17; C&AG’s Report, paras 7, 15 18 Q 102 19 Qq 101, 109–110; C&...

When we asked what criteria it used to decide on investment in one area against another, NHSE explained the consultative approach it took to prioritise services but could 13 NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, Overview, Chapter 1, paragraph 26, and …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

Stakeholders stressed to us the particular importance of coordinated care for people suffering ill mental health.22 However, they were frustrated with difficulties in accessing and sharing data across different organisations, including between national and local bodies, and between health and social care sectors. For example, the vice-chair for external affairs for the RCGP, herself a practising GP, told us she could access patients’ records from her local acute health trust, but not from the...

Stakeholders stressed to us the particular importance of coordinated care for people suffering ill mental health.22 However, they were frustrated with difficulties in accessing and sharing data across different organisations, including between national and local bodies, and between health and …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

From 2015, NHSE introduced specific waiting times standards for three service areas —talking therapy services, early intervention in psychosis services and eating disorder services for children and young people—which set ambitions for people to enter treatment quickly. While the NHS has met the standards for talking therapy services and early intervention in psychosis services, it has not yet done so for eating disorder services for children and young people.25

From 2015, NHSE introduced specific waiting times standards for three service areas —talking therapy services, early intervention in psychosis services and eating disorder services for children and young people—which set ambitions for people to enter treatment quickly. While the NHS …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

We are concerned about the NHS still not meeting the eating disorder service standards, and how long young people suffering from eating disorders have to wait for treatment. NHSE explained to us that this is because it took time for the NHS to develop the services including infrastructure and workforce, which were not in place before the standards were introduced. The situation was further complicated by a surge in cases during the COVID-19 pandemic.26 We are also concerned that performance m...

We are concerned about the NHS still not meeting the eating disorder service standards, and how long young people suffering from eating disorders have to wait for treatment. NHSE explained to us that this is because it took time for …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

From 2022, the new integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning most NHS mental health services for their local populations. ICBs are NHS bodies, working alongside integrated care partnerships (ICPs) which bring together local government and NHS services on a statutory basis as part of a local integrated care system (ICS).31 The Department and NHSE confirmed that ICBs will be responsible for bringing forward many of the ambitious programmes which are key to the future of me...

From 2022, the new integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning most NHS mental health services for their local populations. ICBs are NHS bodies, working alongside integrated care partnerships (ICPs) which bring together local government and NHS services on …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

We, and many stakeholders, agree that the introduction of ICSs offers opportunities to improve local mental health services. But many of the challenges they face involve longstanding and unresolved issues which we have repeatedly highlighted, most recently in our April 2023 report on the introduction of ICSs.33 Only four out of 29 ICBs responding to the NAO survey agreed they had the capacity, resources and staff required to improve their mental health services. As the Department acknowledged...

We, and many stakeholders, agree that the introduction of ICSs offers opportunities to improve local mental health services. But many of the challenges they face involve longstanding and unresolved issues which we have repeatedly highlighted, most recently in our April …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

More immediately, the Centre for Mental Health and other bodies told us that, in the face of funding pressures and the need to reduce backlogs for physical health services, ICBs and ICPs could struggle to prioritise mental health services and support, and potentially even place some of the recent progress made in jeopardy.36 When questioned, NHSE assured us there is no doubt that “mental health services will remain an absolute priority” for the NHS, and that it has a number of mechanisms in p...

More immediately, the Centre for Mental Health and other bodies told us that, in the face of funding pressures and the need to reduce backlogs for physical health services, ICBs and ICPs could struggle to prioritise mental health services and …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

It is good to see that the number of people accessing NHS funded mental services has increased, from 3.6 million in 2016–17 to 4.5 million in 2021–22. However, this equates to only around one third of people with mental health needs accessing services, with an estimated eight million still not doing so.43 NHSE acknowledged that, under the current planned rates of service expansion, sizable treatment gaps will persist, even if it meets its access targets for 2023–24. There are also 1.2 million...

It is good to see that the number of people accessing NHS funded mental services has increased, from 3.6 million in 2016–17 to 4.5 million in 2021–22. However, this equates to only around one third of people with mental health …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report linked

In our 2018 report on mental health services for children and young people, we noted that the Department had not clarified what ‘parity of esteem’ meant in practice. We recommended that the Department clearly defined the criteria it would use to measure progress and what data/information it required.45 Many stakeholders who contributed to this inquiry told us that setting out a clear definition of ‘parity of esteem’, objectives and roadmap to achieve them is important to understand progress a...

In our 2018 report on mental health services for children and young people, we noted that the Department had not clarified what ‘parity of esteem’ meant in practice. We recommended that the Department clearly defined the criteria it would use …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
21 Jul 2023 | Committee report Context · primary home: NHS policy linked

When asked, NHSE told us that it would welcome a definition of ‘parity of esteem’, which could encompass parity in funding, waiting times and outcomes, as well as the provision of data and information on services. The Department contended that it was not always helpful to have a clear definition and said that its current position is not to provide a specific definition.47 39 Qq 147–148; C&AG’s Report, para 18 40 House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts report, Introducing integrated care...

When asked, NHSE told us that it would welcome a definition of ‘parity of esteem’, which could encompass parity in funding, waiting times and outcomes, as well as the provision of data and information on services. The Department contended that …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
22 Feb 2023 | Committee report linked

We are extremely concerned about the waiting time for children to receive support for mental health issues and about the proportion of adolescent girls seeking help. A survey found nearly 1 in 5 of 6- to 16-year-olds in England had a probable mental health disorder in 2021. The same survey also found that almost 40% had experienced a deterioration in mental health since 2017. In addition, 13.5% of 11- to 16-year-olds felt their lives had been made ‘much worse’ by COVID-19 restrictions. But su...

We are extremely concerned about the waiting time for children to receive support for mental health issues and about the proportion of adolescent girls seeking help. A survey found nearly 1 in 5 of 6- to 16-year-olds in England had …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
22 Feb 2023 | Committee report linked

In 2021, a NHS survey showed nearly 1 in 5 of 6- to 16-year-olds in England had a probable mental health disorder. The survey also found that almost 40% had experienced a deterioration in mental health since 2017 and 13.5% of 11- to 16-year-olds felt their lives had been made ‘much worse’ by COVID-19 restrictions. Some children with mental health issues are having to wait a very long time to start treatment. In 2020–21 the average waiting time for children to start treatment for their mental ...

In 2021, a NHS survey showed nearly 1 in 5 of 6- to 16-year-olds in England had a probable mental health disorder. The survey also found that almost 40% had experienced a deterioration in mental health since 2017 and 13.5% …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
22 Feb 2023 | Committee report linked

We asked the Department for Education what it considers it can do to support young girls with their mental health. It told us that it ensures the work it does with the Department of Health and Social Care is built on an understanding of the data, so that it can spot patterns in the data and “make that part of the conversation”. It told us that the government has invested an extra £2.3 billion a year for mental health services overall by 2023–24, which should enable an extra 345,000 children a...

We asked the Department for Education what it considers it can do to support young girls with their mental health. It told us that it ensures the work it does with the Department of Health and Social Care is built …

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2022

4 events
2 Aug 2022 | Committee report linked

We urge the Department to ensure more is done to make the diagnosis and treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) a priority. From a diagnostic perspective, we recommend that Health Education England update the IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) and EMHP (Educational Mental Health Practitioner) curricula to make training in BDD compulsory for all mental health practitioners. The Government should ensure BDD is included in the PSHE (personal, social, health and economic) educ...

We urge the Department to ensure more is done to make the diagnosis and treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) a priority. From a diagnostic perspective, we recommend that Health Education England update the IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
20 Jul 2022 | Written question Department of Health and Social Care linked

Coronavirus: Bereavement Counselling

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing bereavement support for the families of people who died from covid-19. Answer: Since March 2020, the Government …

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8 Jul 2022 | Committee report linked

Access to specialist mental health support is essential in supporting children in care, and the Government must commit to funding specialist mental health support for every school. It must also invest targeted funding to fully level-up spend per-child on mental health, and to reduce mental health waiting lists to no longer than one month. (Paragraph 61) A national scandal: children missing from education and in unregulated ‘education’

Access to specialist mental health support is essential in supporting children in care, and the Government must commit to funding specialist mental health support for every school. It must also invest targeted funding to fully level-up spend per-child on mental …

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2021

15 events
9 Dec 2021 | Committee report linked

Although the full long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of children and young people under the age of 25 is as yet unknown, it is already clear that the mental health needs of these groups have been much exacerbated by the pandemic. This has been supported by NHS data from July 2020 which shows that one in six young people now have a probable mental health disorder. But the impact of this has not been even across different children and young people, with older teen...

Although the full long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of children and young people under the age of 25 is as yet unknown, it is already clear that the mental health needs of these groups have …

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9 Dec 2021 | Committee report linked

During the pandemic, children and young people’s mental health has significantly worsened and the scale of the backlog mean that the NHS will not be able to treat its way out of this crisis. The need for early intervention and prevention in children and young people’s mental health has been consistently overlooked by successive governments and although there has been a significant expansion of services recently the pace of change has not been keeping up with increases in demand. Still today t...

During the pandemic, children and young people’s mental health has significantly worsened and the scale of the backlog mean that the NHS will not be able to treat its way out of this crisis. The need for early intervention and …

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9 Dec 2021 | Committee report linked

The Department of Health and Social Care—in partnership with the Department for Education and all other relevant Government departments—must take radical steps to shift the focus in mental health provision towards early intervention and prevention. This must ensure that all children and young people under the age of 25 can receive mental health support as early as possible and no young person is turned away from mental health support for not being ill enough. The Department must focus its att...

The Department of Health and Social Care—in partnership with the Department for Education and all other relevant Government departments—must take radical steps to shift the focus in mental health provision towards early intervention and prevention. This must ensure that all …

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9 Dec 2021 | Committee report linked

We expect a full and comprehensive update from the Department on what measures it will implement, how this work will be funded and a timeframe for key outcomes relating to increased early intervention and prevention. We expect this information by the end of January 2022. (Paragraph 36) Increasing access to mental health services

We expect a full and comprehensive update from the Department on what measures it will implement, how this work will be funded and a timeframe for key outcomes relating to increased early intervention and prevention. We expect this information by …

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9 Dec 2021 | Committee report linked

Commitments in the 2017 Green Paper and the NHS Long Term Plan have been taken seriously by NHS England and led to a significant expansion of provision. We are, however, concerned that many commitments may not yet be ambitious enough to ensure every young person with a diagnosable mental health condition can access care. Currently, waiting times for accessing children and young people’s mental health services remain far too long, and too many referrals to specialist services are inappropriate...

Commitments in the 2017 Green Paper and the NHS Long Term Plan have been taken seriously by NHS England and led to a significant expansion of provision. We are, however, concerned that many commitments may not yet be ambitious enough …

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9 Dec 2021 | Committee report linked

We recommend that NHS England & Improvement set out a clear action plan including key milestones, deadlines, and funding for how they will meet their target set out in the NHS Long Term Plan of 100% access to specialist support for all children and young people aged 0–25 by 2029, without raising the already high thresholds for accessing support.

We recommend that NHS England & Improvement set out a clear action plan including key milestones, deadlines, and funding for how they will meet their target set out in the NHS Long Term Plan of 100% access to specialist support …

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9 Dec 2021 | Committee report linked

We welcome and support the proposals in the recent access and waiting times consultation that concluded on 1st September, including crisis response times and a four-week waiting time limit for children and young people, and call on NHS England to publish a detailed roadmap as to how it will be delivered including the additional funding requirements.

We welcome and support the proposals in the recent access and waiting times consultation that concluded on 1st September, including crisis response times and a four-week waiting time limit for children and young people, and call on NHS England to …

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9 Dec 2021 | Committee report Context · primary home: NHS policy linked

We therefore recommend that the Department of Health and Social Care fully fund and scale up the roll out of Mental Health Support Teams to cover two thirds of schools in England by 2024/25 and 100% by 2027/28.

We therefore recommend that the Department of Health and Social Care fully fund and scale up the roll out of Mental Health Support Teams to cover two thirds of schools in England by 2024/25 and 100% by 2027/28. Type: conclusion …

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9 Dec 2021 | Committee report linked

Furthermore, in light of the rise in both prevalence and severity of children and young people’s mental health difficulties, the training of Education Mental Health Practitioners should be reviewed to integrate their skills into a new psychological professions structure. This must include training experienced practitioners in more sophisticated psychological therapy so that they can work with more complex cases such as eating disorders and self-harm.

Furthermore, in light of the rise in both prevalence and severity of children and young people’s mental health difficulties, the training of Education Mental Health Practitioners should be reviewed to integrate their skills into a new psychological professions structure. This …

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9 Dec 2021 | Committee report linked

Whilst Mental Health Support Teams and Designated Senior Lead training is being rolled out, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education should work closely together with all schools to ensure that they have the support they need in order to offer a whole school approach, including: access to digital self-help support; school counselling for every child who needs it; and good guidance on best practice for staff on how to provide the most appropriate support in sch...

Whilst Mental Health Support Teams and Designated Senior Lead training is being rolled out, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education should work closely together with all schools to ensure that they have the support …

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13 Jul 2021 | Committee report linked

Autistic people and people with learning disabilities have the right to live independent, free and fulfilled lives in the community and it is an unacceptable violation of their human rights to deny them the chance to do so. It is also more expensive to detain autistic people and people with learning disabilities in inpatient settings and this takes up resources that are not then available for more humane community care. We are therefore deeply concerned that community support and provision fo...

Autistic people and people with learning disabilities have the right to live independent, free and fulfilled lives in the community and it is an unacceptable violation of their human rights to deny them the chance to do so. It is …

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13 Jul 2021 | Committee report linked

Since the Winterbourne View scandal, over 10 years ago, successive governments have committed to reducing the number of autistic people and people with learning disabilities in inpatient settings and prioritising community support for these individuals. However, missed and delayed policy targets suggest a more radical approach to unlocking funding for community provision is urgently needed. Too often autistic people and people with learning disabilities are assessed as needing to stay in an A...

Since the Winterbourne View scandal, over 10 years ago, successive governments have committed to reducing the number of autistic people and people with learning disabilities in inpatient settings and prioritising community support for these individuals. However, missed and delayed policy …

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9 Apr 2021 | Committee report linked

Many organisations and academics have found that prevention and early intervention are likely to reduce eating disorder rates as well as hospitalisations and deaths. It is important that the alarming rise in eating disorder rates is addressed as the country reopens post-pandemic. We recommend that in the short term, the Government focuses on rapidly developing early intervention strategies for those with mental health issues related to body image, including eating disorders. Given the high mo...

Many organisations and academics have found that prevention and early intervention are likely to reduce eating disorder rates as well as hospitalisations and deaths. It is important that the alarming rise in eating disorder rates is addressed as the country …

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9 Apr 2021 | Committee report linked

We are hugely saddened to hear of the number of people who have faced appearance and weight-based discrimination when accessing NHS services. There is no way to quantify the damage this has done to individuals’ mental and physical health. We are not satisfied with the use of BMI as a measurement to evaluate individual health. 42 Changing the perfect picture: an inquiry into body image It is clear that the use of BMI inspires weight stigma, contributes to eating disorders, and can damage an in...

We are hugely saddened to hear of the number of people who have faced appearance and weight-based discrimination when accessing NHS services. There is no way to quantify the damage this has done to individuals’ mental and physical health. We …

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10 Feb 2021 | Committee report linked

A significant proportion of children in custody have a mental health need. The Secure Stairs model is a welcome development, but we are disappointed to hear that children are sometimes held in custody because of an absence of appropriate mental health treatment beds. In cases where the mental health of offenders is a substantial factor in their self-harm or their level of risk to staff or fellow offenders, we recommend that the Ministry work with the Department of Health and Social Care to id...

A significant proportion of children in custody have a mental health need. The Secure Stairs model is a welcome development, but we are disappointed to hear that children are sometimes held in custody because of an absence of appropriate mental …

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2020

3 events
12 Nov 2020 | Committee report linked

We are aware that children coming into contact with the criminal justice system may not meet the criteria for generic child and adolescent mental health services, despite presenting with multiple needs. We recommend that the Ministry of Justice increase access to mental health support for all children and young people who need it. The Ministry should set out how this will be achieved and resourced. (Paragraph 54) Minimum age of criminal responsibility

We are aware that children coming into contact with the criminal justice system may not meet the criteria for generic child and adolescent mental health services, despite presenting with multiple needs. We recommend that the Ministry of Justice increase access …

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12 Nov 2020 | Committee report linked

We were concerned to hear reports of children being remanded to custody pending psychiatric reports. Evidence received suggested that this is unnecessary and potentially damaging for a child. We ask the Ministry of Justice to set out how many children have been sent to custody pending a psychiatric report. We recommend that the Ministry set out what steps it is taking to prevent this from happening.

We were concerned to hear reports of children being remanded to custody pending psychiatric reports. Evidence received suggested that this is unnecessary and potentially damaging for a child. We ask the Ministry of Justice to set out how many children …

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2018

1 event