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 potential impact of charities providing dog therapy within NHS services on patients in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of charities providing dog therapy within National Health Services on patients in the Surrey Heath constituency.

The Department does not have current plans to partner with charities that provide therapy dog services or entertainment activities for children within NHS services in Surrey Heath constituency.

Responsibility for onward commissioning of mental health services sits with integrated care boards (ICB). It is the role of local ICB decision-makers to consider the implications of mental health services, specific to each geography and including the perspectives of healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and local authorities.