Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Mackinlay of Richborough Excerpts

Tuesday 19th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Jackie Doyle-Price]

I will always welcome any research designed to improve the treatment of asthma. Certainly, from a public health perspective, we must do much more to prevent asthma and reduce the likelihood of life-threatening attacks.

[Craig Mackinlay (South Thanet) (Con)]

4. What steps the Government are taking to improve mental health service provision.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Jackie Doyle-Price)]

Under the NHS long-term plan, there will be a comprehensive expansion of mental health services, with at least an additional £2.3 billion in real terms by 2023-24. That builds on our ambitious targets for improving community and crisis care, with extra treatment for 370,000 adults per year, and for 345,000 children and young people by 2023.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

I would not want the hon. Gentleman to feel any sense of social exclusion.

[Craig Mackinlay]

One of my constituents, Mark Verrion, is a patient of Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust. He was first admitted on a temporary basis following an unfortunate but mild episode. He has now been institutionalised for 11 years, and he has been moved over 100 times during that period, often out of area. The trust has 289 out-of-area placements for adult mental health services, which is an increase of 100 over the past year, and the cost to local health budgets is obvious. Does my hon. Friend agree that my constituent and all the other out-of-area patients deserve local health provision to enable them to remain within the trust area?

[Jackie Doyle-Price]

I quite agree with my hon. Friend. Frankly, I am horrified to hear the account he has just given. We have made a priority of getting rid of out-of-area placements, because we know that patients do better when they are among family and friends. Clearly the case he has just outlined, which has lasted the past 11 years, is totally unacceptable. I will give it my personal attention and meet him to discuss it.