Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reduced access to GP services on waiting times in Accident and Emergency departments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises that where the capacity of general practice (GP) services is not meeting patient demand, this can lead to some patients seeking advice and care in alternative settings, such as accident and emergency. We have already committed to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs from this October through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, increasing capacity in GPs. The latest information on accident and emergency waiting times is published monthly by NHS England, and is available at the following link:
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve child and adolescent mental health services in (a) Surrey Heath constituency and (b) Surrey.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that many children and young people are not receiving mental health care and support when they need it, and we know that waiting times for mental health services are far too long. The Government is determined to change that.
At a national level, the Government will recruit 8,500 additional staff across children and adult mental health services, and will introduce a specialist mental health professional in every school. The Government will roll out open access Young Futures hubs for children and young people in every community, including in Surrey Heath constituency and Surrey.
Responsibility for onward commissioning of mental health services sits with integrated care boards (ICB). It is the role of local ICB decision-makers to consider the implications of mental health services, specific to each geography and including from the perspectives of healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and local authorities.