Mental Health and NHS Performance

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and Neil Carmichael

Monday 9th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

I actually agree with the hon. Lady’s broad point about the importance of the social care system and its interconnectedness with the NHS. As she well knows—her party’s manifesto reflected this as well—in 2010 we faced a very challenging economic situation, and both parties recognised the need for cuts in public spending. What changed in 2015, however, at least in the Conservative party’s manifesto, was the recognition that we needed to increase funding for the social care system, and with the changes announced by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in December, all local authorities can now increase funding for social care in real terms. I hope that we can start to turn things around.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

With the recent Education Committee report on children in care in mind, I welcome the Prime Minister’s refocus on mental health and the Secretary of State’s continued support for action. What practical steps does he have in mind, given our finding that local integration, effective relationships and the teaching of personal, social and health and economic education all help to produce good outcomes?

[Mr Hunt]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right—obviously his role on the Select Committee gives him a particular insight—but we do not want to rush to a solution, which is why we have said that we will produce a Green Paper before the end of the year. It is a complex area. Other hon. Members have alluded to the risk of medicalising problems, given that, as we know, all young people at school experience periods of stress, anxiety and worry that are not necessarily diagnosable mental health conditions and which we would not want to make out to be such. This is about thinking through a smart way to improve resilience training and self-help and to educate schools so that they can spot when something is just a temporary thing in the run-up to exams, or whatever, and when it could be something a lot more serious, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, an eating disorder or something else that needs more immediate help. We have today started a big education programme with schools, but we want to go further.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and Neil Carmichael

Tuesday 2nd June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

7. What steps he is taking to increase access to GPs’ surgeries.

[The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt)]

The Government have committed to make sure GPs can be accessed when needed seven days a week, ensuring that people are able to access primary medical care when they need to.

This is already being rolled out through the GP access fund, which will enable 18 million patients to benefit from improved access to their local GP, including extended hours, telephone or Skype consultations.

[Neil Carmichael]

Does the Secretary of State agree that the news he brings will be of great comfort to elderly people in particular, but in addition the signposting of people towards GPs rather than acute hospitals will be very important and a very useful addition to our policy?

[Mr Hunt]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. It is partly the availability of services seven days a week, which we need to provide because illnesses do not happen on only five days a week and we need to respond to changing consumer expectations; but it is also about the signposting. That is absolutely critical, so that people know where to go and do not overburden A&E departments, which should be there for real emergencies.