Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 22 January (HL12045), why they have not set a national access and waiting times standard for child and adolescent mental health services.

We have made good progress on carrying out the core proposals of the children and young people’s mental health green paper, including piloting a four-week waiting time to access specialist National Health Service children and young people’s mental health services.

In 2018 we announced the first 25 trailblazer sites delivering 59 mental health support teams in and near schools and colleges. Twelve of the trailblazer sites are also testing four-week waiting times specialist NHS services. The pilots will inform a recommendation to Government on the potential development and roll out of access and waiting time standards for all children and young people who need specialist mental health services.