Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that clinicians engage with the concerns of people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 who believe that they have (a) been misdiagnosed and (b) wrongly medicated.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We have made no such estimate.
Patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 for three months, who have not consented to treatment or believe they have been wrongly diagnosed or medicated, have the right to a second opinion from the Second Opinion Appointed Doctor service provided by the Care Quality Commission. The Government’s White Paper, Reforming the Mental Health Act, published in January 2021, includes proposals to enhance patient rights to this service.
For certain patients detained under the Act for treatment, there is a right to aftercare services, funded jointly by the responsible clinical commissioning group and local authority. These serve to help support the person when they move back into the community on discharge from hospital and aim to reduce the risk of the person becoming unwell and needing to return. Financial support may be available through personal health budgets, which support a person’s identified health and wellbeing needs and are planned and agreed between them, their representative and the local National Health Service team. They provide individuals with greater choice, control and flexibility over their care. All these services can include medical and psychological support to meet the needs of people who may have been wrongly diagnosed or medicated.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of people detained under the Mental Health Act between 1983 and 2000 who were misdiagnosed with (a) schizophrenia and (b) any other psychiatric disorder.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We have made no such estimate.
Patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 for three months, who have not consented to treatment or believe they have been wrongly diagnosed or medicated, have the right to a second opinion from the Second Opinion Appointed Doctor service provided by the Care Quality Commission. The Government’s White Paper, Reforming the Mental Health Act, published in January 2021, includes proposals to enhance patient rights to this service.
For certain patients detained under the Act for treatment, there is a right to aftercare services, funded jointly by the responsible clinical commissioning group and local authority. These serve to help support the person when they move back into the community on discharge from hospital and aim to reduce the risk of the person becoming unwell and needing to return. Financial support may be available through personal health budgets, which support a person’s identified health and wellbeing needs and are planned and agreed between them, their representative and the local National Health Service team. They provide individuals with greater choice, control and flexibility over their care. All these services can include medical and psychological support to meet the needs of people who may have been wrongly diagnosed or medicated.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
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 ensure that people who visit their GP in respect of (a) mental ill health and (b) suicidal ideation are referred to third sector organisations that offer bespoke support.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Following a recent review into the Quality and Outcomes Framework indicators by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the general practitioner (GP) committee of the British Medical Association, GPs have been incentivised to provide patients with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and other psychoses with a comprehensive care plan. Guidance for 2021/22 sets out a care programme approach whereby the patient must have a documented care plan which has been discussed with their community key worker. A care plan can include information on how socially supported the individual is, including their involvement with voluntary sector organisations, and co-ordination arrangements with secondary care and/or mental health services.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
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 ensure that the families of people with suicidal ideation have access to specialist advice and support.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
From 2019/20 to 2023/24, we are investing £57 million in suicide prevention through the NHS Long Term Plan to support local suicide prevention plans and establish suicide bereavement support services. This funding for sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) and integrated care systems (ICSs) will be used to deliver multi-agency plans. The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health are working together to support STPs and ICSs with these plans.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that people who have attempted suicide receive support to develop a safety plan that helps them to tackle their suicidal ideation.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
From late 2021/22, NHS England and NHS Improvement intend to launch a self-harm Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which enables commissioners to link a proportion of providers' income to the achievement of a quality improvement goal. This CQUIN will bring focus to the quality of interventions provided by mental health liaison services in emergency departments to ensure they are concordant with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, including offering:
- biopsychosocial assessment of needs;
- risk assessment; and
- developing with patients a personalised and integrated care and risk management plan.
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health, which has recommended that all patients are followed up within three days of discharge from in-patient care. NHS England and NHS Improvement have now included 72-hour follow-ups in the standard National Health Service contract and regularly monitors the performance of providers.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) scheme; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the family members of people with suicidal ideation have access to ASIST training.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We have not made a formal assessment. From 2019/20 to 2023/24, we are investing £57 million in suicide prevention through the NHS Long Term Plan. This funding can be used by local areas for suicide and self-harm prevention activities and training, which could include ASIST training.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
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 ensure that relevant health professionals receive the training necessary to support patients with suicidal ideation to develop a safety plan.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We have not taken any such specific steps. We expect health professionals to receive sufficient training to reach the education standards set by the professional regulatory bodies.
Health Education England has commissioned MindEd to provide suicide and self-harm prevention e-learning resources, including on structured care and safety planning in suicide prevention. The most recent module was published in April. All MindEd resources are available to both health and social care professionals.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
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 strengthen the working relationship between the NHS and third-sector organisations that offer bespoke support to people with mental ill-health and suicidal ideation.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24 acknowledges that voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, including suicide prevention organisations, play an essential role in the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan. Local commissioners and providers should therefore consider their existing relationships and commissioning functions with VCSE partners, the strength and sustainability of local VCSE infrastructure and how it can be supported.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
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 ensure that people who have made a suicide attempt receive assistance in developing a safety plan that allows them to tackle their suicidal ideation effectively.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation.
Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)
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 ensure that patients who visit their GP with (a) mental ill-health and (b) suicidal ideation are referred to third-sector organisations offering bespoke support.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation.