Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jackie Doyle-Price and Christopher Pincher

Tuesday 19th December 2017 Commons Chamber

[Christopher Pincher (Tamworth) (Con)]

21. What steps he is taking to improve mental health provision for children and young people.

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

We have assessed children and young people’s mental health as part of our ongoing work to improve services, and the results of our assessments have led to £1.4 billion of extra funding to support locally led transformation plans. The recent Green Paper aims to improve the provision of services in schools, bolster links between schools and the NHS, and pilot a four-week waiting time target.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jackie Doyle-Price]

My hon. Friend highlights the great synergy between those health services that the Government can provide, on which people obviously rely, and self-help, which is very important, as well as the help that people can give each other when they share their experiences. I commend the work of Jesse Evans and his “Autism Adventures” blog, which is extremely positive and educational.

[Christopher Pincher]

My clinical commissioning group delivers better-than-average waiting times for mental health talking therapies and follows up 99% of all vulnerable people within a week of their first appointment. It does all that and more on significantly less than the average budget nationally, so will my hon. Friend look at south-east Staffordshire as a case study for delivering a good service with value for money?

[Jackie Doyle-Price]

How can I say no to such a proposition? My hon. Friend illustrates the importance of good leadership in all local communities. Where good leaders make something a priority, they will deliver good outcomes at reasonable value for money.