Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking in response to the Care Quality Commission's most recent Monitoring the Mental Health Act report in the context of covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

We welcome the Care Quality Commission’s report which gives us an invaluable insight into the ways that mental health inpatient services have responded to the pandemic.

We have announced measures which address some of the concerns raised in the report. This includes a £50 million winter discharge support package which will boost capacity and support good quality discharge from mental health inpatient settings to help reduce pressures on inpatient beds and keep patients safe over the winter.

It is important that any restrictions on hospital visiting are proportionate and only kept in place when absolutely necessary and in line with the Government’s and NHS policies during the pandemic. We are aware that advocacy services have had to innovate during the pandemic in order to continue to offer patients the advice and support that they need.