Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that qualified (a) counsellors and (b) psychotherapists are (i) supported and (ii) distinguished from (A) psychiatric and (B) diagnostic services.

It is essential that all National Health Service staff, including counsellors and psychotherapists, can work in a supportive and compassionate environment that recognises and prioritises health and wellbeing. NHS England has a wide-ranging package of mental health and wellbeing support for all staff.

All healthcare professionals should follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, which state that healthcare professionals directly involved in a patient's care should introduce themselves and explain their role to the patient.

Counsellors and psychotherapists are not statutorily regulated in the United Kingdom. Health professionals that are not subject to statutory regulation can join voluntary registers accredited by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA), such as the UK Council for Psychotherapy and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, who also provide support to their members.

The organisations accredited by the PSA are independent, representative bodies and as such, they do not fall under Government oversight, and therefore any decisions about the practice requirements for the professions they represent are a matter for those organisations and their members.