§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what mental health services are made available to armed services' personnel; and if he will make a statement. [22093]
470W
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 13 December 2001]: Mental health services are available to armed services' personnel via the services that form part of the Defence Medical Services and/or through services provided to the general population in the national health service. We have embarked upon a radical programme of modernisation to improve access to effective treatment and care in the NHS, reduce unfair variation, raise standards and provide quicker and more convenient services across the spectrum of care. There is also current guidance relevant to war pensioners (Health Service Guidance (97)31) to ensure referrals within the NHS make specific reference to the need for treatment for the condition for which the pension was awarded.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of his policy that nobody with severe mental illness who asks for treatment should be refused; and if he will make a statement. [35513]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: The National Service Framework (NSF) for Mental Health, published in September 1999, sets out national standards for mental health. The NSF contains seven overarching standards, two of which are specifically about the provision of effective services for people with severe mental illness. The standards aim to ensure that each person with severe mental illness receives the range of mental health services they need. Implementation of the NSF standards is an on-going process that should be largely completed by 2004.
Performance monitoring arrangements are in place to ensure that the appropriate services are in place within that time scale.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the level of recruitment and retention of staff of mental health services. [35514]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: Recruitment and retention of staff is a key issue for mental health services. Work is taking place on a number of issues to improve recruitment and retention, and includes:
considering the recommendations made by the Workforce Action Team on recruitment and retention;working with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to look at recruitment and retention issues, such as the retention of senior house officers, working patterns and workload and retirement plan;analysing the reports from the local implementation teams about recruitment and retention.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2002,Official Report, column 248W, on mental health, what conclusions he has reached as to the reasons for the fall in the number of new episodes of care since 1996–97. [35484]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: The reason for the fall in new episodes of care may be due to an increase in the average duration of each episode of care which rose from about three months in 1996–97 to over four months in 1999–2000. However, only cautious interpretations are possible on so small a sample of data. The full data set are available on the website at www.doh.gov.uk/public/KT240001
471W
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in contact with specialist mental health services have access to crisis resolution services. [35504]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: As at 31 October 2001 local implementation teams reported that there were 52 crisis resolution teams in place out of a NHS Plan target of 335.
It is further reported via the local implementation teams (LITs) self assessment reports that 4 per cent. of LITs had complete coverage of this type of service for its population and that a further 44 per cent. of LITs had a service although it was still being developed in line with service specifications and population need.
It is not possible at this point to equate the responses to the actual populations served but it would appear that service developments currently allow for the availability of a service to almost 50 per cent. of the LIT populations.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which PFI project in mental health services have been(a) approved and (b) had contracts signed since 5 November 2001. [35511]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership National Health Service Trust was given approval to proceed under the private finance initiative on 11 February 2002 for the modernisation of mental health services.
No PFI contracts for mental health service schemes valued above £1 million have been signed since 5 November 2001. Central records are not kept for schemes below this value.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 26 November 2001,Official Report, column 741W, on the "Mind Out For Mental Health" campaign, whether working minds employers' tool kits are available; and what stocks there are. [35483]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: Tookits can be accessed from the employer's section of the campaign website at www.mindout.net, and can be downloaded free of charge by users.
An order has been placed for a reprint of a further 1,000 working minds employers' toolkits. We hope that these will be available in March 2002.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the national women's mental health strategy; and if he will make a statement on progress. [35489]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: The Department will publish the women's mental health consultation document later in the year.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to launch the consultation on the black and ethnic minority mental health service users' strategy. [35496]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave him on 29 October 2001, Official Report, column 554W and on 5 November 2001, Official Report, columns 101-05W.
472W
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health out of area admissions which were not clinically indicated there were in the latest period for which figures are available. [35505]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 January 2002]: The information requested is not available centrally.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how the number of staff supporting mental health carers has changed since he set his target. [35512]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: The National Plan set a target for 2004 that 700 more staff will be recruited to increase the breaks available for carers and to strengthen care support networks. In pursuance of this target, all regular carers of people with mental health problems will have been identified, received an assessment and have their own care support plans by April 2004. By June 2004, local support networks for these carers will have been developed.
The statutory and voluntary sector currently provide support to carers, and the Department is developing a service specification for carers support services which will be available in April against which we will measure progress.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 26 November 2001,Official Report, column 741W, on the "Mind Out For Mental Health" campaign, whether decisions have been made on communications expenditure for 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [35485]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: Decisions have not been made on communications expenditure for 2002–03.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new graduate primary care mental health workers have been employed since he set his target. [35500]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: Central information on the number of new graduate primary care mental health workers is not yet available. Funds to support the appointment of 1,000 such staff will be allocated in 2003–04.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prisons will have no mental health in-reach services by 2004. [35487]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: By March 2004, mental health in-reach services are planned to be available in the 70 or so prisons in England and Wales judged to have the greatest mental health need, of a current total of 136 establishments.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 1 November 2001,Official Report, column 817W, on mental health services, by what means he intends to assess whether he has reached his target that by 2004 no out of area crisis mental health admissions which are not clinically indicated take place. [35486]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: The Department is working with the national health service to develop reporting lines which differentiate 473W between crisis admissions that are appropriately referred and dealt with by out of area services and those that were not.
The development of robust crisis resolution teams nationally would allow for a degree of confidence that no admissions were occurring out of area inappropriately.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the 2001–02 budget for the National Institute for Mental Health has been spent. [35491]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: At the end of January, £373,000 had been spent on the National Institute for Mental Health.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many more community mental health staff have been employed since he set his target. [35501]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: The NHS Plan sets a target for 500 more community mental health staff.
Community mental health staff are employed by the national health service, local authorities and voluntary and independent sector organisations. Data currently collected by the Department identify community psychiatry nurses but medical, therapy and social care staff working in mental health services in the community are not identified separately.
Between 1999, baseline for the NHS Plan, and 2001, the number of qualified community psychiatry nurses employed in the NHS increased from 10,552 to 12,224. In the same period all staff employed in community psychiatry increased from 12,989 to 14,905.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health early intervention teams have been established; and what his target is. [35502]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: The local implementation teams submitted details on services developed in a service mapping exercise which was validated by 31 October 2001.
Based on the details in those reports there were 16 early intervention teams in place by that date out of a target for 2003–04 of 50, as set out in the NHS plan.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his assessment is of whether it will be possible to meet his commitment that no prisoner with serious mental illness will leave prison without a care plan and a care co-ordinator by 2004. [35488]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: Mental health in-reach services to prisons are already being established in 22 prisons in England and Wales this year. We plan to expand that to an additional 25 prisons during 2002–03, with further development during 2003–04 so that by March 2004 in-reach will be available within the 70 or so prisons judged to have the greatest mental health need.
By targeting need in this way we expect to be able to encompass within the in-reach project the 5,000 prisoners at any one time who have severe and enduring mental illness. This will ensure that they are receiving more comprehensive services while in prison, and more effective throughcare when they are released.
474W
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health crisis resolution teams have now been established; and what his target is. [35503]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: The local implementation teams (LITs) submitted details on services developed in a service mapping exercise which was validated by 31 October 2001.
Based on the details in those reports there were 52 crisis resolution teams in place by that date out of a target for March 2004, of 335, as set out in the NHS plan.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in evaluating the Working Minds programme. [35498]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: As I indicated in the reply I gave the hon. Member on 26 November 2001, Official Report, column 742W, evaluation of the Working Minds programme is continuing.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what mental health in-reach services in prisons are operating; and how many prisoners have such services available to them [35515]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 12 February 2002]: Mental health in-reach services are being developed in 18 English prisons during 2001–02, as well as in the four Welsh prisons. Once established, these services will be available to any prisoner within those establishments who is assessed as needing the level of mental health care that in-reach offers.
We are planning to expand in-reach services during 2002–03 and 2003–04 so that by March 2004 it will be available in around 70 prisons judged to have the greatest mental health need.