Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on (a) waiting times for mental health care services and (b) the quality of mental health care provision in each of the last three years.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

We have made no specific assessments. The COVID-19 pandemic inevitably caused service disruption and increased pressure on mental health services contributing to rising need, demand and complexity of presentations.

Despite these significant challenges, mental health services in the National Health Service have continued to deliver progress against some of the key ambitions in the NHS Long Term Plan throughout this period. This includes meeting the early intervention in psychosis waiting time standard, delivering the commitment for mental health support teams to cover 20-25% of pupils in schools and colleges in England a year ahead of schedule and the roll out of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, urgent mental health helplines nationwide when the pandemic hit.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the 14 day covid-19 isolation period operating within children’s mental health units.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

On 17 January 2022, guidance was updated to recommend that the inpatient isolation period for COVID-19 cases or contacts is reduced from 14 days to 10 days, with some exceptions. It also outlines that NHS services, including children’s mental health units, should take a risk assessment approach to implementing the guidance in their area.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the 14 day covid-19 isolation periods in children’s mental health units on (a) the children using the units and (b) their parents.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

No specific assessment has been made. However, commissioners and clinical teams have used digital forms of communication to maintain and, where possible, enhance therapeutic engagement, including supporting contact with parents and families.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of mental health services to function effectively in the context of the additional pressure on health services as a result of high levels of covid-19 cases.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

Mental health services have remained open throughout the pandemic. Local health systems are asked to ensure that access to community-based mental health services is retained to ensure that those at risk and are most vulnerable can access treatment and care, with face-to-face care provided as far as possible.

On 24 December, NHS England and NHS Improvement published ‘2022-23 priorities and operational planning guidance’, setting out the services that systems have been asked to deliver during the current high levels of COVID-19 cases.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made additional funding available for mental health provisions during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

The Mental Health Recovery Action Plan was published in 2021, supported by an additional £500 million in 2021/22. The Plan aims to respond to the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of the public, specifically targeting groups that have been most affected including those with severe mental illness, young people, and frontline staff. This is in addition to a further investment of £2.3 billion a year in mental health services by 2023/24 through the NHS Long Term Plan. We have also provided more than £10 million to national and local mental health charities.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the implications for Government policy of a potential increase in the (a) scale and (b) severity of (i) untreated and (ii) treated mental health conditions during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Ministry of Justice has been a member of the ministerial cross-government Mental Health and Wellbeing Task and Finish group, co-chaired by the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health and Social Care, since it was established in May 2020. This group was formed to examine and respond to the mental health and psychosocial impacts of the pandemic and it published a COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing Recovery Action Plan on 27 March 2021. (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/973936/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-recovery-action-plan.pdf).

Protecting prisoners and their mental health and wellbeing has been the priority for HMPPS throughout the pandemic. Mental health services have remained open, often adapting to provide support via digital services. We will continue to monitor and review prisoners’ mental health needs and facilitate access to health services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to progress the Government's Mental Health recovery plan announced in March 2021.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

The Department has worked with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Public Health England, Health Education England and other delivery organisations to allocate £500 million of additional funding in 2021-22 to nationally-led programmes and local authority areas. The funding is enabling prevention and promotion activities in local authorities, expanding capacity across specialist mental health services, and training and developing the mental health workforce, in line with the commitments made in the recovery plan.

These programmes are being monitored through a Mental Health Recovery Board established to complement the existing governance of the NHS Long Term Plan commitments for mental health. The cross-Government actions in the recovery plan are monitored through the Mental Health Independent Advisory Oversight Group and the Ministerial Mental Health and Wellbeing Task and Finish Group on a quarterly basis.