Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 1 December (HL3716), what legal redress is available to patients denied access to mental health care by public health authorities that fail to comply with the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 on equal priority for mental and physical health.

The Government is committed to achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health and we expect people to have access to appropriate care and treatment based on their needs. We have implemented the first waiting times for mental health to improve access to mental health services. If individuals are dissatisfied with the services they are receiving, they may raise their concerns using local complaints procedures and if necessary with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.