Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Meg Hillier and Zubir Ahmed

Tuesday 24th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dame Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)]

5. What steps he is taking to improve access to mental health services.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Dr Zubir Ahmed)]

Mental health issues affect all ages, and the support is not always there. We are determined to change that. We have hired almost 8,000 extra mental health workers since we came into office and increased investment in mental health by an additional £688 million this year. We are also transforming services through community-based 24/7 mental health centres, providing open access to treatment and support for adults with severe mental health needs, expanding NHS talking therapies, and rolling out mental health support teams in more schools.

[Dame Meg Hillier]

The NHS’s work on this is vital, but I also draw the Minister’s attention to Mind in Hackney, which is pioneering a new approach to make sure that people get two sessions of mental health support within two weeks. They can get more later on, but that is what they get, rather than waiting in a queue for six months for long-term support. For many people, that, along with a long-term treatment plan, is enough. May I urge the Minister to come and visit? It is only half an hour up the road from Westminster; he could fit it in before Prime Minister’s questions.