Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the use of clinical answering services for commissioning and decommissioning of treatment and support relating to mental health.

Decisions about the commissioning and decommissioning of local National Health Service services are a matter for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). We would expect CCGs to make all decisions regarding the commissioning and commissioning of services based on the needs of their local communities. We would also expect CCGs to carefully consider all factors relating to the delivery of high quality and efficient health services that meet quality standards and achieve the best outcomes for the communities. Local commissioning decisions should be supported, where appropriate, by robust consultation with the local community.