Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government has taken to implement the (a) recommendation to increase the availability of talking therapies as an alternative to psychiatric medication and (b) other recommendations of Public Health England's Prescribed medicines review report, published in September 2019; and if he will make a statement.

The most appropriate form of treatment is a matter for clinicians and patients, based on each patient’s individual clinical circumstances.

Over 1 million people with mental health conditions are now accessing psychological and talking therapies through Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services each year. Under the NHS Long Term Plan, our ambition is that an additional 380,000 people per year will being able to access National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved IAPT therapies by 2023/24.

NHS England and NHS Improvement has established a group, chaired by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer and the Primary Care Medical Director, to oversee implementation of the recommendations for the NHS from Public Health England’s prescribed medicines review, on dependence forming prescription medicines. Further consideration is being given on wider engagement with patient groups, charities and people with lived experience, alongside clinical experts, professional bodies and Royal Colleges, including the potential for a separate advisory stakeholder group to support development and implementation.