Suicide: Mental Health Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps has he taken to ensure adequate mental health support is available to individuals experiencing suicidal ideation.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
We are committed to delivering the five-year cross-Government Suicide Prevention Strategy, which sets out over 100 actions to save lives. We will continue to explore opportunities to go further.
Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that so more adults with anxiety and depression can get the help they need, and we are expanding access to mental health support teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services.
We are also giving patients better access to 24/7 support directly through the NHS App, providing a national route for people to find information, access self-referral where available, and engage with digital tools alongside their local service offers.
We are also making £473 million of capital funding available over the next four years, which we encourage systems to invest in new care models such as community-based mental health centres and new mental health emergency departments, also known as crisis assessment centres.
Integrated care boards are responsible for providing health and care services to meet the needs of their local populations.
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