Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken with the Royal Navy to support the mental health of officers in the Royal Navy.

The Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy (RN) have implemented several specific measures to promote the psychological wellbeing of officers, recognising the unique challenges they face, especially in high-stress operational environments.

For those personnel requiring medical intervention, the Defence Medical Services (DMS) provide a responsive, flexible, accessible, and comprehensive treatment service. The DMS is reshaping mental health provision to reduce waiting lists, improve timelines for patient recovery and refocus on earlier intervention. This will provide a single point of access for specialist mental health networks allowing quicker access to initial assessment and earlier allocation to the right treatment pathway.

Additionally, the RN provides mental health and stress management training, and continues to explore new initiatives to further enhance mental health support for all of our personnel.