Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of NHS psychiatric wards to function effectively whilst following social distancing measures during the covid-19 outbreak.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have published guidance for mental health, learning disabilities and autism, and specialised commissioning services during the pandemic. It provides considerations for National Health Service commissioned services to help them meet the general principles laid out in that document, including that people with mental health needs, a learning disability or autism receive the same degree of protection and support with managing COVID-19 as other people, that decisions balance clinical need, patient safety and risk, and that providers maximise the use of digital technologies to ensure continuity of care.

The Care Quality Commission, as the independent regulator of health and social care in England, also continues, through its emergency support framework, to take action to keep people safe and support providers.