Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Mental Health Services

Monday 5 July 2021 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministers are committed to ensuring veterans and service personnel receive a gold standard of care.
  • Wait times for high intensity mental health treatment have decreased for veterans.
  • The Armed Forces Bill aims to deliver on obligations under the armed forces covenant.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Mental Health Veterans
Context

The question stems from ongoing concerns about mental health support and care for service personnel, particularly with recent initiatives like a 24-hour helpline introduced by the Ministry of Defence.

Question

What steps he is taking to help improve provision of mental health services for members of the armed forces. I am concerned that despite efforts, veterans across all services in England have missed Government targets on mental healthcare, including a wait time of 37 days for face-to-face appointments against a target of just 14.

Answer from Leo Docherty

We are committed to ensuring that veterans and service personnel receive a gold standard of care. Wait times for those seeking high intensity treatment have decreased, and veterans themselves provide peer support. We will always have more to do but good progress is being made.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The response avoids addressing the specific ask for a review of services and a commitment to ensure best standards of care.

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Q2 Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton
NHS Mental Health Veterans
Context

There are concerns about missed Government targets on mental healthcare for veterans, including wait times of 37 days for face-to-face appointments against a target of just 14.

Question

I am grateful to the Minister for that answer and for the work that has been done, but he must also know that Government targets on mental healthcare have been missed for veterans across all services in England. Will he now commit to reviewing these services to ensure that our serving personnel and veterans absolutely get the best standards of care?

Answer from Leo Docherty

We are committed to ensuring that veterans and service personnel receive a gold standard of care. Wait times for those seeking high intensity treatment have decreased, and veterans themselves provide peer support. We will always have more to do but good progress is being made.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The response avoids addressing the specific ask for a commitment to review services and ensure best standards of care.

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Q3 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
NHS Defence Mental Health
Context

There is a concern about the armed forces covenant and staffing shortfalls, with a 50% shortfall in uniformed and civilian psychiatrists' posts as per the Defence Committee's 2019 report.

Question

The armed forces covenant states that those injured in service should be cared for reflecting the Nation's moral obligation to them. However, the Defence Committee's 2019 report on mental health suggests a 50% shortfall in both uniformed and civilian psychiatrists' posts. Can the Minister set out an updated estimate, and what he is doing to ensure that staffing meets the demand from service communities?

Answer from Leo Docherty

We will always go after any gaps in provision, but I am confident that progress is being made. We are taking forward the Armed Forces Bill which aims to deliver on our obligations under the covenant.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The response avoids addressing the specific ask for an updated estimate and measures to address staff shortfalls.

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Q4 Stephen Morgan Lab Portsmouth South
Defence Mental Health
Context

The number of service personnel being seen for initial assessment has fallen by 36% since 2013, despite increasing willingness to seek help.

Question

Government figures show that the number of service personnel being seen by the MOD's specialist mental health services for initial assessment has fallen by 36% since 2013 to an all-time low. That is despite personnel being more willing to seek help for mental health issues. Will the Minister commit to reviewing all current mental health provision for our armed forces personnel?

Answer from Leo Docherty

I welcome that question because we are seeking a cultural change and an institutional shift across all our armed forces, led by the chain of command. We are already seeing tangible benefits in this regard. I saw some of that up close when I visited Op Courage clinicians last week.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The response avoids addressing the specific ask for a commitment to review current mental health provision.

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