Health

Tuesday 17th October 2017 Ministerial Corrections

Mental Health Workforce

The following is an extract from topical questions to the Secretary of State for Health on 10 October 2017.

[Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting) (Lab)]

There is a crisis in mental health staffing levels. Does the Secretary of State accept that today, throughout the country, there are 2,000 fewer mental health nurses than there were when he took charge five years ago?

[Mr Hunt]

What I accept is that we have 30,000 more professionals working in mental health than when my Government came into office. There has been a decline in the number of mental health nurses, but we have in place plans to train 8,000 more mental health nurses, and that will make a big difference.

[Official Report, 10 October 2017, Vol. 629, c. 163.]

Letter of correction from Mr Hunt:

An error has been identified in the response I gave to a topical question.

The correct response should have been:

[Mr Hunt]

What I accept is that we have 30,000 more professionals working in the NHS than when my Government came into office. There has been a decline in the number of mental health nurses, but we have in place plans to train 8,000 more mental health nurses, and that will make a big difference.