Thank you for contacting me about access to mental health support and services.
The pandemic affected the mental health of people across our country, and I welcome action taken by the Government to improve relevant support and services.
As part of the five-year funding offer agreed in 2019, mental health services will receive an additional £2.3 billion a year in real terms by 2023-24 enabling service expansion and faster access to community and crisis mental health services for all. The Government has committed to increase mental health spend to 8.9 per cent of all NHS funding.
As announced in the 2021 Spending Review, a new investment of £150 million will be spent on NHS mental health facilities linked to A&E to enhance patient safety. Additionally, around £300 million will complete the programme of replacing mental health dormitories with single en-suite rooms.
In 2022, the Government pledged to expand mental health support in schools, particularly as half of related conditions take root by the age of 14. 'Our Plan for Patients' promised to boost the number of mental health practitioners in primary care and to strengthen mental health support in schools. It also commits to improve access to NHS talking therapies and to enhance community support for adults living with severe mental illnesses.
Furthermore, the Government announced £3.6 million of funding for the National Academy of Social Prescribing, an organisation which helps those experiencing grief, addiction, dementia and loneliness through community-led social activities, services and opportunities with proven benefits to well-being.
The Government is set to publish a Major Conditions Strategy, and mental ill health is one of the six major conditions included. This ensures that it is considered alongside other physical health conditions rather than as a standalone strategy. The Department of Health and Social Care has launched its call for evidence for the Major Conditions Strategy; the consultation is now closed, and findings will be released in due course.
The recent publishing of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy includes a commitment to see the number of suicides in England decrease within two and a half years at the very latest. Over 100 measures have been outlined in the strategy aimed at saving lives, providing early intervention, and supporting anyone going through the trauma of a crisis. This includes a new national alert system to notify relevant authorities – like schools, universities, and charities – of emerging methods of suicides and risks, and any required actions that can reduce access or limit awareness.
I hope these improved services end the stigma surrounding mental health, offering crucial support to those who have suffered in silence for too long.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.