Oral Answers to Questions

Matthew Pennycook Excerpts

Tuesday 7th July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

In the first instance, patients who are concerned about safety should contact the trust concerned, even though it is a different trust legally from the one that was there before. The CQC is there to ensure that any lessons about the safety of care are disseminated throughout the NHS. That is an important part of the transparency culture that we are introducing.

[Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)]

6. What progress the Government have made on achieving parity of esteem for physical and mental health services.

[Angela Rayner (Ashton-under-Lyne) (Lab)]

7. What progress the Government have made on achieving parity of esteem for physical and mental health services.

[The Minister for Community and Social Care (Alistair Burt)]

The Government take mental health as seriously as physical health. We have introduced legislation to ensure parity of esteem, and with additional investment and the first access and waiting standards for mental health, we will hold to account and work with the NHS to achieve that aim.

[Matthew Pennycook]

There is understandable scepticism across the mental health sector about whether real-terms funding for mental health services has increased over recent years. In the interests of transparency, will the Minister commit to report on the levels of funding for mental health services that are provided nationally and to clinical commissioning groups, so that my constituents can have confidence that the Government are serious about achieving that parity of esteem?

[Alistair Burt]

I am happy to do that. There was an increase of £302 million in mental health spending in 2014-15, and there is an injunction on CCGs to ensure that a proportionate amount of any additional money they receive goes to mental health services. That is as transparent as it has ever been, and we will ensure that that standard is maintained.