Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to impose a legal duty on the Integrated Care Systems to be established under the Health and Social Care Bill to give parity of esteem to mental health services.

The Health and Care Bill establishes new National Health Service bodies known as integrated care boards (ICBs) and requires the creation of integrated care partnerships. The ICB will take on the commissioning functions of clinical commissioning groups as well as some of NHS England’s commissioning functions.

In exercising their commissioning functions under section 3 and 3A of the National Health Service Act 2006, ICBs must act consistently with the Secretary of State’s duty to promote a comprehensive health service in England, to improve mental as well as physical health.