Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, to confirm how many Mental Health Support Teams are in (a) the North West and (b) Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are now in place in around 6,800 schools and colleges across the country, with 398 expert teams offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues. Information on the delivery of MHSTs can found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1156762/Transforming_CYPMH_implementation_programme__data_release_May_2023.pdf. MHSTs have achieved their NHS Long Term Plan coverage ambition a year early, and more teams are coming, with over 500 MHSTs planned to be up and running by April 2024.

Data from NHS England shows that there are currently 58 MHSTs in the North West of England. 50 MHSTs are operational and 8 will be fully operational by April 2024. The data can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/trailblazers/#_Mental_Health_Support. Data on the number of MHSTs specifically in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency is not currently available.