Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve access to adult NHS mental health services for people with speech, language and communication needs.

The Department is working hard to improve mental health services for all adults, including those with speech, language and communication needs, so that many more people can access the high-quality, vital mental health support they need.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) commission local services, including mental health services, on behalf of their local populations taking into account local needs and priorities. CCGs and NHS England have a duty to have regard to the need to reduce inequalities in access to health services and the outcomes achieved.

Under the NHS Long Term Plan, local areas will design and implement models of care that are age appropriate, closer to home and bring together physical and mental health services. These models will support health development by providing holistic care across local authority and NHS services, including primary care, community services, speech and language therapy, school nursing, oral health, acute and specialised services.

The National Implementation Framework, to be published later this spring, will provide further information on how the NHS Long Term Plan will drive improvements in people’s mental health care.