Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of early intervention by mental health services on people with mental health issues.

The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health is at the heart of Government plans to transform mental health services and recognises early intervention as key to improving service user experiences and preventing the requirement for in-patient stays. Page 15 of the Five Year Forward View notes that:

“Early intervention and quick access to good quality care is vital – especially for children and young people. Waiting times should be substantially reduced, significant inequalities in access should be addressed and support should be offered while people are waiting for care.”

Following publication of the Five Year Forward View, and in recognition of the value of early intervention, the Government agreed the following waiting times and access targets with NHS England.

- For accessing Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services 75% of referrals should be seen within six weeks and 95% should be seen within 18 weeks;

- For eating disorder services 95% of referrals should be seen within four weeks for routine cases and 95% of urgent referrals should be seen within one week; and

- For the Early Intervention in Psychosis programme 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis should start a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended package of care within two weeks of referral, rising to 60% by 2021.