§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria he uses to assess the provision of child and adolescent mental health services in each area of the country; if he will rank each area of the country in the provision of services adopting these criteria; what guidance and publications his Department proposes to produce on child and adolescent mental health services in the next six months; and if he will make a statement. [6125]
§ Mr. BurnsNational health service executive regional offices are responsible for assessing individual health authorities' performance against milestones set out in the priorities and planning guidance. This includes the implementation of policy on child and adolescent mental health services.
Regional offices use the policy guidance set out in the "Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Health of the Nation Handbook" as a means to assess performance. Performance would be assessed against local needs and a national ranking of performance has not been considered.
We have produced various publications and guidance in recent years, there are no plans to produce additional material in the next six months.