Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of children requiring treatment for urgent mental health conditions at A&E in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry; and if he will make a statement.

NHS England is working with local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and providers in Coventry and the wider West Midlands to improve services and reduce waiting times, looking at how the New Care Models, set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health can bring benefits for the local population.

Coventry and Rugby CCG is working to reduce the number of children requiring treatment for urgent mental health conditions at University Hospital Coventry. The CCG has commissioned an Acute Liaison Team that works to undertake an assessment within a maximum of 48 hours when young people present with self-harm or mental health crises. The CCG is engaging with partner agencies to review pathways across agencies for children in crisis and to commission more preventative services.

The Government is committed to transforming children and young people’s mental health services, making available an additional £1.4 billion for mental health services for children and young people by 2019/20. Improving provision of children and young people’s urgent and emergency mental health care is a priority for NHS England as part of this wider transformation of mental health support. In addition, the proposals contained in Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper will be supported by an additional £300 million over the next three years.

Refreshing NHS Plans for 2018/19 published by NHS England and NHS Improvement requires the National Health Service to continue to work towards the 2020/21 ambition of all acute hospitals having mental health crisis and liaison services that can meet the specific needs of people of all ages, including children and young people.