Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2023 to Question 193134 on Mental Health Services: Children and Young People, when she plans that the national access and waiting times standards for these services in England will be (a) defined and (b) set.

NHS England plans to publish data on community mental health longest waits in autumn 2023 using their proxy measure of how long to receive one or more contacts for children and young people, or two or more contacts for adults. NHS England plans to publish the full community mental health waiting times proposed in spring 2024. This will start to move away from only measuring contacts and will broaden focus on meaningful activities and improved outcomes.