Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the Ethnic Inequality and Mental Health Consultation by Lankelly Chase Foundation, what efforts they are making to address the dissatisfaction felt within the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic mental health sector with the Government's lack of commitment to address ethnic inequalities in mental health.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Everyone should be able to access mental health services according to need. However, we know that there are inequalities in the access to mental health services. For example, older adults, men, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and those who are Deaf are not accessing services in the numbers predicted by prevalence studies. The National Health Service is leading on work on equality of access. We are listening to people with experience of mental health within BAME communities and continuing to make the changes needed to ensure equality throughout mental health services.
There are no plans to make additional resources available for mental health services in BAME communities. However, planning requirements for 2015-2016 require clinical commissioning groups to invest additionally in mental health in line with the growth in their overall funding allocation, which should benefit all communities.
In July 2014, the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health published guidance for commissioners of mental health services for those from black and minority ethnic communities which is attached and can be found at the following link:
http://www.jcpmh.info/wp-content/uploads/jcpmh-bme-guide.pdf
The Department has been working with NHS England and commissioners to disseminate this guidance which describes what ‘good’ mental health services for people from BAME communities look like.
One of the key priorities of the work in updating the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice, which was published in January 2015, was to eliminate discrimination, including for people from BAME communities. The Department’s published Equality Analysis Equality for all: Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice sets out a range of additional guidance that has been included aiming to address concerns raised by BAME stakeholders and others.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of early intervention and preventative mental health services and the extent to which these are used by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Everyone should be able to access mental health services according to need. However, we know that there are inequalities in the access to mental health services. For example, older adults, men, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and those who are Deaf are not accessing services in the numbers predicted by prevalence studies. The National Health Service is leading on work on equality of access. We are listening to people with experience of mental health within BAME communities and continuing to make the changes needed to ensure equality throughout mental health services.
There are no plans to make additional resources available for mental health services in BAME communities. However, planning requirements for 2015-2016 require clinical commissioning groups to invest additionally in mental health in line with the growth in their overall funding allocation, which should benefit all communities.
In July 2014, the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health published guidance for commissioners of mental health services for those from black and minority ethnic communities which is attached and can be found at the following link:
http://www.jcpmh.info/wp-content/uploads/jcpmh-bme-guide.pdf
The Department has been working with NHS England and commissioners to disseminate this guidance which describes what ‘good’ mental health services for people from BAME communities look like.
One of the key priorities of the work in updating the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice, which was published in January 2015, was to eliminate discrimination, including for people from BAME communities. The Department’s published Equality Analysis Equality for all: Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice sets out a range of additional guidance that has been included aiming to address concerns raised by BAME stakeholders and others.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to make additional resources available to mental health services in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, and if so, what resources they will make available.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Everyone should be able to access mental health services according to need. However, we know that there are inequalities in the access to mental health services. For example, older adults, men, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and those who are Deaf are not accessing services in the numbers predicted by prevalence studies. The National Health Service is leading on work on equality of access. We are listening to people with experience of mental health within BAME communities and continuing to make the changes needed to ensure equality throughout mental health services.
There are no plans to make additional resources available for mental health services in BAME communities. However, planning requirements for 2015-2016 require clinical commissioning groups to invest additionally in mental health in line with the growth in their overall funding allocation, which should benefit all communities.
In July 2014, the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health published guidance for commissioners of mental health services for those from black and minority ethnic communities which is attached and can be found at the following link:
http://www.jcpmh.info/wp-content/uploads/jcpmh-bme-guide.pdf
The Department has been working with NHS England and commissioners to disseminate this guidance which describes what ‘good’ mental health services for people from BAME communities look like.
One of the key priorities of the work in updating the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice, which was published in January 2015, was to eliminate discrimination, including for people from BAME communities. The Department’s published Equality Analysis Equality for all: Mental Health Act 1983: Code of Practice sets out a range of additional guidance that has been included aiming to address concerns raised by BAME stakeholders and others.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they are making to address the lack of access to mental health services for young people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department has not made an assessment of the level of mental health resources and support currently available to young people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. Commissioners and providers of NHS services are required to ensure that the services they commission or provide operate in such a way to meet the needs of diverse groups, including people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
The Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce considered the mental health needs of all children and young people. As part of this work, a specific group was set up to look at the needs of vulnerable groups and inequalities. A report from this group was published alongside the Future in mind report.
The Department is commissioning a new prevalence survey for children and young people’s mental health. We anticipate that the new survey will report on ethnicity, which would provide us with more up-to-date information on the mental health needs of children and young people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups.
Difficulties may arise preventing access to mental health services by members of some communities due to the stigma attached to mental illness among those communities. We believe that Time to Change, a joint anti-stigma campaign led by Mind and Rethink, is addressing this issue and we are considering how best to help.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of mental health resources and support currently available to young people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department has not made an assessment of the level of mental health resources and support currently available to young people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. Commissioners and providers of NHS services are required to ensure that the services they commission or provide operate in such a way to meet the needs of diverse groups, including people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
The Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce considered the mental health needs of all children and young people. As part of this work, a specific group was set up to look at the needs of vulnerable groups and inequalities. A report from this group was published alongside the Future in mind report.
The Department is commissioning a new prevalence survey for children and young people’s mental health. We anticipate that the new survey will report on ethnicity, which would provide us with more up-to-date information on the mental health needs of children and young people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups.
Difficulties may arise preventing access to mental health services by members of some communities due to the stigma attached to mental illness among those communities. We believe that Time to Change, a joint anti-stigma campaign led by Mind and Rethink, is addressing this issue and we are considering how best to help.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase employment opportunities for young people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, in the light of research from the House of Commons Library showing an increase in long-term unemployment for young people from those backgrounds.
Answered by Lord Freud
The number of people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds in employment is at a near record high, with unemployment rates falling across all ethnic groups. Latest figures show that there are 129,000 more people from BME backgrounds in work compared to the same time last year, with the total number, at a near record high of more than 3 million. The employment rate has also risen by 0.7 percentage points over the last year. Unemployment has fallen for all ethnic minorities and is down by 2 percentage points (88,000) over the last year and down by 2.9 percentage points (103,000) since 2011.
The youth claimant count is at its lowest level since the 1970s. Work Coaches offer all claimants tailored support from day one of their claim. Under the Youth Contract, we are providing additional funding and Jobcentre Plus support for those who are still facing barriers to work including young people from Black and Ethnic Minority groups. We provide work experience and sector based work academy placements to give young people training and experience to help them to get into work. DWP employment programmes such as the Work Programme, Youth Contract and Mandatory Employment Programmes have been designed for all long-term claimants and are tailor made for the individual.
One of the Government’s strategies for increasing ethnic minority employment and participation in the labour market is based around mainstreaming opportunity through locally delivered flexible provision. In addition, in October 2014 we introduced an intensive 3 month support package for 18-19 year olds from Day 1 of their claim in areas of high youth unemployment and the 8 highest concentrated areas of young claimants from Black and Ethnic Minority groups. This additional support will run until the end of March 2015.
Asked by: Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on the administering of contraceptive injections or implants to girls under the age of 13.
Answered by Earl Howe
It is extremely rare for doctors or other health professionals to supply or administer contraceptives to under 13s and the doctor is likely to be acting on serious concerns about exploitation or abuse.
Guidance from the General Medical Council states that doctors should, as a matter of routine, share information about sexual activity involving children under 13 with police or social services.