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 improve access to (a) emotional support and (b) mental health services for people living with a visual impairment.

We recognise that people with mental health issues, including those people living with a visual impairment, are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we are working to ensure the National Health Service provides the right support to the right people at the right time.

At the Spending Review, we confirmed that we will deliver on our commitment to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers by the end of this Parliament, roll out mental health support teams to cover all schools in England by 2029/30, and expand NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support schemes.

We have also already started piloting Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres. These pilots aim to provide open access care for anyone with a severe mental illness 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our aim is to have one Neighbourhood Health Centre in each community that brings together NHS, local authority, and voluntary sector services into one building to help create a holistic offer that meets the needs of local populations, including those living with a visual impairment.