§ Matthew GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to create the world class mental health service envisaged in the Wanless report; and if he will make a statement. [59859]
§ Jacqui SmithMy right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget statement outlined substantial additional resources to ensure a modern health service. There is no doubt that increase in national health service expenditure over the next decade will see substantial increases in spending on mental health. The Department is studying the Wanless report with great interest and it will be an important source of analysis and information in the allocation of resources to the service.
§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many of the new graduate primary care mental health worker posts have been(a)created and (b)filled in (i) England and (ii) North Yorkshire; [60508]
(2) how many of the new primary care trusts have employed graduate primary care mental health workers to assist GPs (a)in England and (b)North Yorkshire; [60505]
(3) how many of the new primary care trusts have employed gateway workers to provide a round-the-clock co-ordinating service to specialised care in (a)England and (b)North Yorkshire; [60506]
(4) how many of the mental health gateway worker posts have so far been (a)created and (b)filled in (i) England and (ii) North Yorkshire. [60509]
§ Jacqui SmithThe new graduate primary care mental health workers and mental health gateway workers announced in the NHS Plan will be employed to help general practitioners manage and treat common mental health problems in the financial year 2003–04. Further information to support their recruitment, and to monitor their establishment, will be available in due course. A special session on new primary care workers and `Gateway' workers was held at 23 November 2001 conference 'Fast-forwarding Primary Care Mental Health' (www.doh.gov/fastforward).
Pilot projects for new graduate primary care workers have recently started in Northumbria and Birmingham. A mental health primary care team, established in Scarborough in 1998, with the aim of strengthening primary care mental health provision, also achieved NHS Beacon status in April 1999. The service provides one model of how gateway staff might work in other parts in the country.
This year, £2.5 million has been made available to establish new training programmes to support new primary care workers when they are employed. This initiative is being led by South Trent Work Force Development Confederation.
§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent of under-investment in core mental health services (i) in London and (ii) nationally over the past 20 years; and if he will make a statement. [62911]
§ Jacqui SmithHealth authorities and now primary care trusts as commissioners of local services are required to spend money based on their assessment of need.
1077WThe Department has recently received the details of a mental health finance mapping exercise that was completed by mental health national service framework local implementation teams at the end of October 2001.
The NHS Plan announced substantial additional investment in mental health services. In 2002–03 an additional £93.5 million revenue and £70 million capital, and in 2003–04 an additional £312 million revenue and £17 million capital will be made available.
The finance mapping exercise will provide an opportunity to track this investment through to local service provision.