§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to investigate the extent to which people with mental health problems are able to obtain atypical antipsychotics; and what steps the Government will take to ensure that people with mental illness have access to the drugs most likely to improve their quality of life. [103920]
§ Mr. HuttonThe prescribing of treatment for mental illness is a matter for clinicians. However, to assist clinicians in their decision making, an effective health care bulletin on drug treatments for schizophrenia has just been issued, copies of which are available in the Library. The Department has also commissioned the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British Psychological Society to develop a guideline on this. The project is now being managed by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE will take responsibility for considering any representations about the proposed recommendations and for ensuring that the final guidance to the NHS fairly reflects the needs of patients as well as the weight of evidence.