Community Mental Health Services

Health and Social Care Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 17 Dec 2024 Parliament page
The Committee is undertaking an inquiry into community mental health services. The inquiry will examine what good looks like from the perspective of service users and their families/carers. The Committee would like the inquiry to shine a light on case studies of innovative practice and high-quality care across the country, … Read more
30 Recommendations
2 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Oral sessions
3 Letters
5 Events
Activity timeline 11 events
19 Mar
2026
Report published
19 Mar
2026
Correspondence
19 Mar
2026
Correspondence
11 Mar
2026
Report published
2 Dec
2025
Report published
12 Nov
2025
Correspondence
10 Sep
2025
Oral evidence
21 May
2025
Oral evidence
23 Apr
2025
Oral evidence
12 Mar
2025
Oral evidence
12 Feb
2025
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
10 Sep 2025
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Oral Evidence
Caroline Allnutt · Department of Health and Social Care Gareth Harry · NHS England The Baroness Merron · Department of Health and Social Care
21 May 2025
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Oral Evidence
Darlington Kudakwashe Zvionere · Black Minds Matter UK Janine Smith · Navigo Health and Social Care CIC Karyn Kirkpatrick · KeyRing Living Support Networks Michael Crilly · Social Health & Community Inclusion at Life Rooms (Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust) Mr Abdirahim Hassan · Coffee Afrik CIC Mr Jake Mills · Chasing the Stigma Professor Belinda Lennox · University of Oxford Professor Stephen Pilling · University College London
23 Apr 2025
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Oral Evidence
Christian Taylor Christina Taylor Councillor Lorraine Francis · Bristol City Council Duncan Tree · Association of Mental Health Providers Penny East · Think Ahead Peter Devlin · Essex County Council Stephen Parker · Turning Point
12 Mar 2025
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Oral Evidence
Dr Emma Tiffin · Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board Dr Lade Smith CBE · Royal College of Psychiatrists Elizabeth Sutton Eve Mair Jane Yeandle · Somerset NHS Foundation Trust Rt Hon Sir Norman Lamb · South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Samantha Allen · North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board Steve Forsyth · Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
12 Feb 2025
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Oral Evidence
Chris Frederick Dr Courtney Buckler · National Survivor User Network Francesca Harry Dyson · The McPin Foundation Ian Callaghan Lucy Schonegevel · Rethink Mental Illness Miss Kadra Abdinasir · Centre for Mental Health
Title HC No. Published Items Response
4th Report - Community Mental Health Services HC 566 2 Dec 2025 32 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
32 results
1 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Severity gap reveals unacceptable failing in timely access to mental health care
Timely access to mental health care is not just a matter of convenience— it is a matter of safety, dignity, and equity. Delays in care can lead to preventable crises, greater distress, poorer outcomes, and higher costs to the system. … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts, committing to embedding the voice of people with lived experience in person-centred care delivery. They highlight community-based mental health centres as an example where experts by experience co-produce models to ensure high-quality, timely care, not just at crisis points.
Department of Health and Social Care
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2 Recommendation Rejected
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Lack of continuity of care fragments support for people with severe mental illness
Continuity of care is a necessity for people with severe mental illness. It is essential to the delivery of high-quality care. When it is present, it prevents crisis, builds trust, and supports recovery. When it is absent, it fragments support, … Read more
Government Response
The government rejected the recommendation for specific actions to ensure continuity of care, stating they are already implementing the community mental health framework through early implementor sites and monitoring service performance, with further assessment planned for the MSF on SMI.
Department of Health and Social Care
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3 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Current mental health services fail to provide person-centred, holistic care
Service users, their families, carers and loved ones have been clear: high- quality care must be person-centred, responsive to the full range of needs individuals experience, and ensure involvement of their wider networks. Current services too often fall short—focusing narrowly … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, launching 6 national pilots of community-based mental health centres with £473 million capital funding. These pilots aim to provide integrated, person-centred care, with an evaluation due in 2026 to inform future models.
Department of Health and Social Care
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4 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Stigma and discrimination undermine equitable and culturally appropriate mental health services
Experiences of stigma, discrimination, and lack of culturally appropriate or personalised support were frequently reported, particularly by racialised communities, neurodivergent individuals, and those with disabilities. 74 Where care was described as high-quality, it was inclusive, responsive, and tailored to individual … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, stating that future expansion of community mental health centres will be informed by pilot learning and tailored to local needs. However, there are no current plans to extend the pilot phase beyond 12 months, pending an independent evaluation.
Department of Health and Social Care
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5 Conclusion Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Co-production and peer support essential for trusted and effective mental health services
Services shaped and delivered with, and by, people with lived experience of mental illness are more trusted, accessible, and effective. Meaningful co-production—where power is shared and lived experience is valued—is essential to high-quality care. Peer support, in particular, is a … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation but then discusses a plan for scaling up community-based mental health centres following evaluation of pilots, which is unrelated to the committee's conclusion on the value of co-production and peer support.
Department of Health and Social Care
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6 Recommendation Deferred
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Co-design new mental health care models with experts by experience
Our conclusions in this Chapter try to reflect what service users told us they wanted. This must be reflected in service design. As new models of care are commissioned and implemented, these must be co-designed with experts by experience to … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation but defers concrete action, stating that development of the Mental Service Specification for SMI is underway. Timelines will be confirmed in due course, incorporating findings from a review and community mental health centre evaluation due in summer 2026.
Department of Health and Social Care
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7 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Significant gaps persist between Community Mental Health Framework ambitions and implementation
We believe the Community Mental Health Framework sets out the right vision for Community Mental Health Services. However, evidence submitted to this inquiry reveals significant gaps between its ambitions and its implementation across England. We want to see a renewed … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, committing to develop the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for SMI through genuine co-production with lived experience experts and engaging relevant sectors. However, it shifts focus from the Community Mental Health Framework's implementation gaps and the need for evaluation, to the development of the MSF.
Department of Health and Social Care
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8 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Commission independent evaluation of the Community Mental Health Framework's implementation and impact.
We recommend that the Government changes its current approach and commission an independent and comprehensive evaluation of how the Community Mental Health Framework has been implemented and its impact by the end of the financial year. This should not be … Read more
Government Response
The government states it accepts the recommendation, but its response describes NHS England publishing new guidance on a 'personalised care framework' and the role of a 'named worker' within multidisciplinary teams. It does not address the specific recommendation to commission an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the Community Mental Health Framework's implementation and impact.
Department of Health and Social Care
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9 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Fragmented mental health system requires sustained investment and cultural shift for transformative community care.
Delivering real change and achieving parity of esteem in mental health care requires dismantling the current fragmented system and reimagining service design and delivery. The 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre 75 pilots seem to be genuinely transformative. The experience from … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, focusing its response on improving the transition from children and young people’s mental health services to adult services for 0-25 year olds. It commits to strengthening continuity of care and eliminating rigid age-based thresholds with a new developmental service specification, but does not explicitly address sustained, ringfenced investment or a broader cultural shift for large-scale reform.
Department of Health and Social Care
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10 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Establish a 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre in every community.
We believe there should be a 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre in every community. (Recommendation, Paragraph 92)
Government Response
The government states it partially accepts, but its response discusses improving access and waiting time standards for mental health services generally, and eliminating long waits for children and young people's community services by 2026-27. It does not address the specific recommendation for a 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre in every community.
Department of Health and Social Care
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11 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Extend 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre pilot programme with funding and finalise metrics.
The design of these centres must be informed by the learnings from the pilot programme so they can be tailored to the needs of their communities. In order for the learnings to be robust, the 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation but then responds by discussing physical health outcomes for people with SMI and annual physical health checks, completely failing to address the call for extending the 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre pilot programme or finalising its evaluation metrics.
Department of Health and Social Care
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12 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Develop and publish a clear roadmap for national scale-up of pilot programme.
The Government should develop and publish a clear roadmap for the national scale-up of the pilot programme. In its response to this report, we expect the Government to state how the roadmap will be developed and the timeframe for publication. … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation but then details its commitment to reforming the Better Care Fund, including changes for the 2026-27 financial year, without addressing the specific request for a roadmap and timeframe for the national scale-up of the pilot programme.
Department of Health and Social Care
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13 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Set clear deadline for publishing the Modern Service Framework for mental health in 2026.
We welcome the commitment in the 10 Year Health Plan to develop a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for mental health, with a focus on the needs of people with severe and enduring mental illness in particular. However, without a clear … Read more
Government Response
The government explicitly states it does not accept the recommendation. However, its reasoning discusses the voluntary nature and governance of Section 75 arrangements, which is entirely unrelated to the committee's request for a deadline for the Modern Service Framework's publication.
Department of Health and Social Care
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14 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Detail lived experience involvement and integration of MSF with wider support systems.
We would also like the Government to set out how people with lived experience will be involved in its development and how the MSF will be integrated with wider systems of support including those provided by the VCFSE sector and … Read more
Government Response
The government states it accepts the recommendation, but its response focuses on supporting Integrated Care Boards with multi-year commissioning arrangements and a strategic commissioning development programme in 2026-27 to strengthen partnerships with VCFSE organisations. It does not address how people with lived experience will be involved in MSF development, how the MSF will integrate with wider systems, or how it will incorporate learnings from Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre pilots.
Department of Health and Social Care
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15 Conclusion Acknowledged
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Community Mental Health Services fragmentation persists, requiring sustained investment for integrated support models.
Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) are integral to supporting people with severe mental illness across health, social care, and with their wider social needs. Evidence to this inquiry shows that integrated models of support within multi-disciplinary teams—such as co-located teams … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation, acknowledging the value of alliance models and promoting the inclusion of VCFSE organisations in integrated care systems to strengthen collaboration and co-production. It does not, however, commit to specific actions regarding sustained investment or directly addressing the broader fragmentation of Community Mental Health Services.
Department of Health and Social Care
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16 Recommendation Deferred
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Publish clear guidance on key worker roles to ensure care coordination for service users.
In some areas, the emphasis on care coordination may have been lost through the rollout of the CMHF. We recommend that NHS England publish clear guidance on the role of key workers to ensure all service users have access to … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation and states that NHS England is working with pilot sites, and insights from these pilots will be collated to inform future guidance on neighbourhood-based models of care.
Department of Health and Social Care
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17 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Create clear, actionable plan to deliver comprehensive mental health offer for 0-25 year olds.
Despite nearly a decade of commitments, the transition from Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS)—including Community Mental Health Services (CMHS)— remains a cliff edge and continues to fall short of what young … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, committing service development funding for 2026-2029 to support growth in specific services like IPS, NHS Talking Therapies, and MHSTs. It requires ICBs to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard but does not provide a clear, actionable plan for a comprehensive 0-25 year old offer or addressing the transition 'cliff edge'.
Department of Health and Social Care
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18 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Publish and implement urgent national access and waiting time standards for integrated care.
We heard that one way to track progress on integration would be through the establishment of national access and waiting time standards. The absence of national standards contributes to inconsistent access and undermines parity with physical health. NHS England should … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, committing to requiring ICBs to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard and publishing a new Mental Service Specification for SMI to ensure clinical consistency. However, they will not make further legislative changes regarding mental health spending and do not commit to publishing national access and waiting time standards.
Department of Health and Social Care
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19 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Reinstate annual physical health check target for SMI and embed health outcomes in Modern Service Framework.
NHS England should reinstate the annual physical health check target for people with severe mental illness (SMI) in operational planning guidance. This target has driven significant progress and remains essential for accountability, monitoring co-morbidities, and reducing preventable deaths. Building on … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation but then responds by discussing staff retention, workforce pressures, and the 10 Year Workforce Plan, which are unrelated to the recommendation to reinstate physical health check targets for people with SMI or include physical health outcomes in the Modern Service Framework.
Department of Health and Social Care
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20 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Review and reform Better Care Fund investment structure and level with a clear timeline.
Six months on from our Adult Social Care: The Cost of Inaction report, we are frustrated the Government is yet to review the structure and level of NHS investment in the Better Care Fund (BCF). Whilst we welcome a commitment … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation but then responds by outlining its commitment to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan, which is completely irrelevant to the committee's call for reviewing and reforming the Better Care Fund and its funding cycles.
Department of Health and Social Care
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21 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Expand Section 75 use to enable wider budget pooling, including housing and education services.
The Government should expand the use of Section 75 of the NHS Act 2006 by enabling and encouraging more widespread pooling of budgets between NHS bodies and local authorities. This expansion should support the inclusion of a broader range of … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation but then responds by discussing the vital role of mental health social workers and how the 10 Year Workforce Plan and upcoming MSF will address workforce planning and clinical standards, completely ignoring the recommendation to expand Section 75 arrangements for budget pooling and integrated service delivery.
Department of Health and Social Care
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22 Recommendation Not Addressed
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
VCFSE organisations are not consistently treated as equal partners by commissioners.
VCFSE organisations make a vital contribution to integrated, person-centred care for people with severe mental illness, yet they are not consistently treated as equal third partners by commissioners and providers. This must change. Genuine partnership requires co-production from the outset … Read more
Government Response
The government states it accepts the recommendation but then discusses general accountability, new operating models, and patient feedback mechanisms for mental health services, without addressing the specific call for VCFSE organisations to be treated as equal partners with equitable funding and co-production from the outset.
Department of Health and Social Care
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23 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Support ICBs to adopt multi-year contracts for VCFSE organisations delivering community mental health services.
The Department and NHE England should support ICBs to move away from short-term commissioning cycles to multi-year contracts for VCFSE organisations supporting the delivery of CMHS. The publication of the Strategic Commissioning Framework presents an opportunity to enable the bold … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, acknowledging the importance of multi-year contracts for VCFSE organisations and noting the NHS medium-term planning framework facilitates this. A strategic commissioning development programme will provide practical support to ICBs during 2026-2027 to strengthen commissioning skills.
Department of Health and Social Care
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24 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Prioritise alliance models embedding VCFSE organisations in community mental health service design and delivery.
NHS England and Integrated Care Boards should prioritise the development of alliance models that embed voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations in the design and delivery of community mental health services. This should include clear expectations for co- … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation, acknowledging the value of alliance models and stating NHS England is promoting partnership working for VCFSE inclusion. Future guidance will continue to emphasize co-production and the role of community assets in delivering mental health services.
Department of Health and Social Care
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25 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Support neighbourhood pilot sites to address digital interoperability challenges and share best practice.
In order for the neighbourhood pilots to realise the potential of the innovative model of care they are trialling, the Government should support the pilot sites to address challenges with digital interoperability, for example through sharing of learning and best … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, stating NHS England is working with pilot sites to identify digital interoperability barriers and share learning. Insights from these pilots will be collated to inform future guidance and support the implementation of neighbourhood-based models of care if scaled up.
Department of Health and Social Care
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26 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Fundamental problem persists in mental and physical health resource distribution.
We echo Lord Darzi’s assessment that there is a fundamental problem in the distribution of resources between mental and physical health. While we recognise the welcome increase in real-terms mental health spend this year, we were disappointed to see the … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, committing to require ICBs to protect mental health spending in real terms for financial years 2026-2029 via the Mental Health Investment Standard. However, it declines to make further legislative changes regarding mental health spending at this time, citing existing provisions for annual statements.
Department of Health and Social Care
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27 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Monitor impact of integrating Service Development Funding into core funding and provide formal update.
While integrating Service Development Funding into core funding may offer flexibility, we believe it also introduces uncertainty around continued prioritisation and investment in these services, and could have a detrimental impact upon the progress of the transformation of services. We … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation, stating NHS England already monitors relevant impacts through published data and ICBs meet the Mental Health Investment Standard. Additionally, service development funding has been secured for 2026-2029 to support growth in key mental health services.
Department of Health and Social Care
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28 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Retain the Mental Health Investment Standard and legislate it as a statutory requirement.
We recommend the Mental Health Investment Standard be retained beyond 2025–26. The Government should commit to the Standard by the end of this calendar year to give systems greater certainty. Then, the Government should legislate to make the Standard a … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts the recommendation, committing to retain the Mental Health Investment Standard by requiring ICBs to protect mental health spending in real terms for financial years 2026-2029. However, it explicitly states it will not legislate to make the Standard a statutory requirement at this time.
Department of Health and Social Care
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29 Recommendation Acknowledged
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Set out specific measures to reduce burnout and improve pay for CMHS staff.
Staff retention is important for continuity of care for people with SMI. As part of the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan, the Government should set out specific measures to reduce burnout, including action on caseload management and access to supervision; … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts this recommendation, acknowledging challenges like burnout and limited progression and stating the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will address these issues by improving staff treatment, training, and roles. However, it does not set out specific measures as requested.
Department of Health and Social Care
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30 Recommendation Acknowledged
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Ensure 10 Year Workforce Plan aligns growth with service transformation across all CMHS partners.
It is vital that the Government ensures the 10 Year Workforce Plan delivers for Community Mental Health Services. Workforce growth must be aligned with service transformation to ensure that new roles are sustainable and integrated across settings. This must take … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, stating it is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to ensure the NHS has the right people and skills for transformed services. The plan will address workforce sustainability and articulate changes for different professional groups but does not detail how it will ensure specific alignment, integration, or inclusion of all partners.
Department of Health and Social Care
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31 Recommendation Accepted in Part
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Include mental health social workers in the 10 Year Workforce Plan with workforce projections.
Social workers make an essential contribution to tackling the broader determinants of health and mental health outcomes, yet we heard they are often deprioritised when budgetary pressures arise. The Government should recognise the important role of mental health social workers … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, acknowledging the vital role of mental health social workers and stating they will be recognised in the 10 Year Workforce Plan. However, it does not commit to specific projections for workforce increases or ensuring every person with SMI has a named mental health social worker.
Department of Health and Social Care
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32 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report - Community Mental Heal…
Set out proposals to strengthen mental health system accountability, including Race Equality Framework implementation.
The sector has called for a Mental Health Commissioner to address concerns about a lack of accountability across the mental health system. The Government has said it does not want to take this approach. We ask it to set out … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the recommendation, outlining that its new approach to mental health will strengthen accountability with clearer standards and transparency. It confirms the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework is now a contractual requirement, with NHS England supporting its full implementation, and promises further proposals for system-wide accountability.
Department of Health and Social Care
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Government Response AI assessment · 32 of 30 classified
Accepted 4
Accepted in Part 11
Acknowledged 3
Deferred 2
Not Addressed 11
Rejected 1
Total 30 recs + 2 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
19 Mar 2026 Correspondence from DHSC - Mental Health Expected Spend
Parliament page
19 Mar 2026 Correspondence from DHSC SofS - Mental Health Expected Spend
Parliament page
12 Nov 2025 Correspondence from Baroness Merron re Follow up on 10 September session
Parliament page