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 ensure that families of the most vulnerable children do not have to travel long distances in order to support those going through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Tier 4 inpatient units.

As part of the standard operating procedure for child and adolescent mental health services, the National Health Service aims to admit a patient to the nearest clinically appropriate unit in the first instance, while managing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both service capacity and the number of children and young people requiring specialist in-patient care.

NHS-led provider collaboratives for children and young people’s mental health services will be key partners in ensuring that admissions are placed close to home.