Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the findings of the Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism improve service provision and reduce waiting times.

The Government is concerned that many adults, young people and children with mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving tailored, personalised or timely assessment, support and, where appropriate, treatment. National Health Service services are facing growing demand for mental health support and ADHD and autism assessments, with current models of care under strain, leading to delays and inequalities in accessing support.

We will overhaul the way that mental health support is delivered in England to drive down waits and improve the quality of care. The independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, autism and ADHD will provide advice and recommendations to the government on the role that preventative care and early intervention across the life course, including support for those waiting for services and ways to reduce demand and waiting times, working with relevant government departments to explore cross-sector opportunities to support this approach and create the conditions for good mental wellbeing. The review will also inform our approach for people with ADHD and autistic people, so society is more inclusive and, where needed, they receive the right support to enable them to live well in their communities.