Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan

15 March 2023 · 4 other contributors · 4,036 words

Opened by Kevan Jones Lab North Durham

Responding minister: Maria Caulfield

Mental Health

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Kevan Jones raised concerns about mental health and wellbeing plan in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Kevan Jones expresses concern over the lack of progress in delivering timely mental health treatment, noting that around 1.7 million people are in contact with mental health services and up to 8 million have unmet needs.
  • Jones highlights severe pressures on ambulance services and the police due to mental health crises and points out that almost a quarter of patients wait more than 12 weeks for treatment.
  • The minister acknowledges the importance of mental health, emphasizing a shift towards parity with physical health over the past decade, with a focus on early intervention.

Key requests to Government

Jones urges the government to be ambitious and implement a long-term mental health strategy that is integrated across all Departments and local government. He calls for universal access to counselling in schools, early intervention programs, and addressing economic factors impacting mental health, advocating for policies that recognize the connection between mental health and employment.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Kevan Jones Lab North Durham

Kevan Jones is concerned about the lack of progress in delivering timely mental health treatment, highlighting that around 1.7 million people are currently in contact with mental health services, and up to 8 million have unmet needs. He notes severe pressures on ambulance services and the police due to mental health crises and points out that almost a quarter of patients wait more than 12 weeks for any form of treatment. Jones also expresses disappointment over the scrapping of the 10-year mental health plan, which was replaced by a major conditions strategy that does not adequately address disparities or focus on children's mental health.

Other contributors (4)
  • Daniel Kawczynski Con Shrewsbury and Atcham

    He agreed on the importance of emotional intelligence support for young people and questioned if such training should be integrated into schools' curricula. I have asked the Minister to meet a constituent with mental health problems who is unhappy with the level of service in Shropshire.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    He raised concern over eating disorders affecting 700,000 young people in the UK, suggesting that these should be addressed as a core part of mental health strategies.

  • Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett

    She was concerned about the loss of views from 14,000 young people who commented during a consultation on mental health and asked if their opinions would be disregarded.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    She concurred with the concern that mental health can get subsumed into other priorities without dedicated focus and funding. The Minister mentioned parity of esteem but only 8.6% of the health budget is spent on mental health, and I am concerned about a lack of funding uplift and investment for people's mental health. The timeline for the publication of the strategy feels delayed.

Government Response

Maria Caulfield

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) for bringing forward the debate and for all his work in this space. He is absolutely right that mental health affects us all, and for those who have a poor experience with mental health the impacts can be life-changing. The minister emphasised a seismic shift towards parity between mental health and physical health over the past decade, focusing on early intervention and community support rather than crisis response. She highlighted funding increases from nearly £11 billion in 2015 to £15 billion currently, with an additional £2.3 billion committed annually to transform services. The minister visited Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unit and discussed the Humberside model that prevents patients from being taken to A&E or police cells as a first point of refuge. She announced £150 million for crisis centres across England, alongside the rollout of up to 90 mental health ambulances. The minister mentioned record numbers of patients coming forward through referrals and GP visits, and emphasized recruitment efforts with 27,000 additional mental health staff already in place. Mental health support teams are being established in schools covering 4,700 institutions, aiming to normalise the importance of mental health wellbeing alongside physical health. The minister stressed that over a third of people with severe symptoms of common mental health disorders also report chronic physical conditions compared to a quarter without such symptoms. She committed to publishing previous call for evidence responses this spring and developing the mental health aspect of the major conditions strategy soon, ensuring it dovetails with NHS England's Core20PLUS5 strategy aimed at reducing inequalities.

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