Mental Health Services

Helping to ensure our local NHS facilities receive enough money for the future is a key priority of mine, and that includes more money for mental health services.

 

Currently, it is also top of my list that I continue to work with the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, and the newly formed Integrated Care System, in ensuring them all important changes and improvements are made for constituents. My work with them continues, but I have had commitments and information on what these improvements look like. I will keep constituents updated on this matter.

 

Investment in NHS mental health services continues to increase each year from almost £11 billion in 2015/16 to £14.3 billion in 2020/21, and the NHS Long Term Plan commits to increasing spending on mental health services in England by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24.

 

The Government also provided an additional £500 million for 2021/22, to accelerate their NHS mental health expansion plans and to target groups whose mental health was most affected by the pandemic. They are also investing over £400 million of capital to improve mental health facilities by eradicating dormitories and giving patients the privacy of their own bedroom.

 

Investment of £150 million is also being given for significant improvements in the NHS mental health estate; including investing in mental health facilities linked to A&E departments and enhancing patient safety in mental health units. It will also fund facilities for people experiencing mental health crises such as crisis houses, as well as introducing dedicated mental health ambulances.

 

From listening to constituents’ views on mental health services, I know that one concern to them is our local mental health workforce capacity. As of December 2021, there were 129,674 full-time equivalent (FTE) people working directly on mental health across NHS trusts. The aim is for an additional 27,000 mental health professionals in the NHS workforce by 2023/24. What is positive to see is that the mental health workforce increased by 5,900 full-time equivalent staff in December 2021 compared to December 2020.

 

In March 2022, there were 90,789 referrals to children and young people’s mental health services (for ages 0 to 18) which was 149% higher than the pre-pandemic level in February 2020. 674,485 were being supported through NHS funded mental health services having received at least one contact in the previous 12 months. This is an area I have seen expressed the most in the casework enquiries I receive from constituents.

 

Mental health support teams now cover 26% of pupils – a year earlier than originally planned - and this will increase to 399 teams, covering around 35% of pupils, by April 2023 with over 500 planned to be up and running by 2024.

 

In 2021/22, 12,547 children and young people started treatment for eating disorders. This compares with 10,695 who started treatment during 2020/21, an increase of 1,762 (16%). The increase in demand means that waiting time standards for children and young people’s eating disorder services have reduced so that in 2021/22, 61.1% of urgent referrals were seen within 1 week and 66.9% of routine referrals were seen within 4 weeks.

 

Following a consultation, the Department of Health  is working with NHS England on introducing a new waiting time standard for children and young people presenting to community-based mental health services, to receive care within four weeks from referral.

 

I know that there has been increased investment in mental health facilities and services at a national and local level in England, and I will continue to work hard to ensure even more is delivered for Norwich North.

 

If constituents need to contact me on this matter, or any other issue, please do email me at chloe@chloesmith.org.uk or ring my constituency office on 01603 414756.