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 support (a) local authorities and (b) integrated care boards to meet the requirements of Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

It is important that eligible individuals receive the aftercare they are entitled to under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983, in order for them to stay well and to prevent readmission or detention.

The Discharge from Mental Health Inpatient Settings statutory guidance, published in January 2024, supports local authorities and integrated care boards to meet the requirements of section 117. It provides clarity in relation to how health and care systems can work together to support discharge from all mental health inpatient settings and ensure the right support in the community. It includes best practice on how patients and carers should be involved in discharge planning, and additional guidance on how budgets and responsibilities are shared to pay for aftercare under section 117. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discharge-from-mental-health-inpatient-settings

This year the National Health Service and local authorities are receiving £1 billion through the Discharge Fund. Local authorities and NHS integrated care boards have the flexibility to spend this investment in ways they deem most appropriate for their local area.

More broadly, we are committed to building consensus on the long-term reform needed to create a National Care Service based on consistent national standards. We will set out next steps for a process that engages with adult social care stakeholders, including cross-party and people with lived experience of care.