Eighth Report - Children and young people’s mental health

The government accepts the recommendation in part, stating that while Cabinet committees are the Prime Minister's prerogative, they have retained a cross-government Ministerial group to monitor progress on mental health. This is alongside NHS England and Improvement's Independent Advisory and Oversight Group to ensure targeted and impactful work.

The government accepts the recommendation in part, committing to a comprehensive national survey every 7 years, with the next one in 2024. They also highlight follow-up surveys conducted in 2020, 2021, and an imminent third wave to understand the pandemic's impact on children and young people's mental health.

The government states it is considering this recommendation. The rest of the response details the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams and general mental wellbeing initiatives, which do not directly address the recommendation for regular mental health prevalence data collection.

The government acknowledges the committee's findings regarding the worsening mental health of children and young people. It describes significant progress in expanding access to services through existing commitments and initiatives but also accepts there is still unmet need and challenges due to the pandemic, with future plans contingent on funding settlements.

The government accepts the recommendation in part, acknowledging commitment to supporting systems and services to address local variation. They state they will continue to publish local progress on access and spend through the NHS mental health dashboard, but do not detail radical steps or plans for faster roll-out of MHSTs, community hubs, or digital support.

The government accepts the recommendation in part, reporting on ongoing piloting and consultation for mental health waiting time standards. It states it will work with NHSEI on next steps for proposed access and waiting measures, but does not provide the full update by the specified deadline.

The government states it is considering this recommendation. It acknowledges challenges for young adults and highlights £33 million provided in FY 21-22 for accelerating plans for 18-25 year olds, aiming to eliminate age-based thresholds by FY 2023-2024.

The government states it is considering the recommendation but then primarily discusses initiatives focused on the mental health and wellbeing of NHS and social care staff, including funding for mental health hubs, rather than detailing a plan for 100% access for children and young people.

The government accepts the recommendation in part but responds by detailing the transformation and growth of the mental health workforce led by Health Education England, rather than addressing how NHS England & Improvement will hold Clinical Commissioning Groups accountable for specific performance measures like waiting times or access rates.

The government redirects to the response for recommendation 3 for an answer to this recommendation.

The government is considering the recommendation regarding the 18-25 age gap. It highlights the ongoing rollout of MHSTs and investments in broader children and young people's mental health services, but does not commit to specific actions to address the transition gap for young adults.

The government accepts this recommendation in part, stating that full implementation depends on annual business planning and future grant confirmations from the Department for Education. The response then details the allocation of over £9.5 million for senior mental health lead training in schools and colleges.

The government's response states it accepts the recommendation in part, then details initiatives to support schools in adopting whole-school approaches to mental wellbeing and providing training and resources for education staff. This response does not address the original recommendation concerning mental health workforce shortages and wellbeing support for NHS and social care staff.

The government's response refers the reader to the response to recommendation 3, thus not directly addressing this recommendation within the provided text.

The government states it is considering the recommendation, but the response primarily outlines significant investments and reforms in adult social care and local government funding. This does not address the specific call to increase Mental Health Support Team coverage to two-thirds of schools by the end of Parliament.

The government accepts the recommendation in part, focusing on the establishment of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Partnerships (ICPs) through the Health and Care Bill. These bodies will be responsible for local planning and provision of health and social care services, including children and young people's mental health, but the response does not directly commit to the specific MHST rollout targets or funding.

The government's response states it accepts the recommendation in part, but then discusses reforms to the Mental Health Act regarding detention periods for patients, specific rights for under-18s, and further work on the Trieste model of care. This response does not address the original recommendation concerning the training and integration of Education Mental Health Practitioners.

The government states it accepts the recommendation but provides a lengthy and irrelevant response detailing commitments to children and young people's crisis care, including 24/7 access and single points of contact, failing to address training for Designated Senior Leads in schools.

The government states it is considering the recommendation but then provides an extensive, irrelevant response focused on improving the quality of inpatient care, alternatives to admission, and support for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, failing to address training for Designated Senior Leads.

The government's response states it accepts the recommendation and plans to expand Independent Mental Health Advocate services for informal patients as part of Mental Health Act reforms, subject to future funding decisions. This response does not address the original recommendation concerning whole-school mental health support.

The government states it is considering the recommendation but then provides a lengthy and irrelevant response about programmes of work to reduce restrictive practices and details from the Mental Health Act.

The government states it accepts the recommendation but then discusses a single data set that collects information from NHS and private services, which does not address the core request to fund and roll out open access models or publish national standards.

The government states it accepts the recommendation in part but then focuses entirely on the accelerated roll-out and funding of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in education settings, rather than the social care sector's funding for mental health services.

The government's response refers the reader to the response to recommendation 3, thus not directly addressing this recommendation within the provided text.

The government accepts the recommendation in part but states it plans to launch a public discussion paper to inform a new longer-term mental health strategy, deferring specific commitments on digital mental health services.

The government accepts the recommendation in part, prioritizing community care for children and young people's mental health and shortening initial detention periods under the Mental Health Act. However, it will not introduce more legislative checks for children alone and states that further work is needed to understand the implementation of the Trieste model of care.

The government accepted the recommendation in part, rejecting the legislative requirement for monthly independent psychiatrist sign-off for children, but plans to shorten the initial Mental Health Act detention period from six to three months. They also referenced ongoing work to accelerate community-based provision through existing NHS initiatives.

The government accepted the recommendation, referencing the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to 24/7 crisis care for children and young people by 2023/24, with a single point of access and four defined functions of a comprehensive crisis service. They are also developing an action plan for community services for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

The government states it is considering this recommendation, while affirming its focus on ensuring high-quality inpatient care and improving alternatives through existing initiatives like the NHS Long Term Plan and the Quality Improvement Taskforce for Children and Young People’s Mental Health.

The government accepted the recommendation and plans to expand eligibility for Independent Mental Health Advocate services to informal patients, including children and young people, as part of Mental Health Act reforms, though this is subject to future funding decisions.

The government is considering the recommendation to expand Independent Mental Health Advocate support for informal patients. It outlines existing work by various taskforces to reduce restrictive practices in children and young people's mental health inpatient services, but does not commit to expanding IMHA.

The government states it is considering the recommendation but then details existing programmes of work to reduce restrictive practices, including a Quality Improvement Taskforce and collaboration with the Restraint Reduction Network, as well as quoting current guidance against prone restraint, indicating current efforts address the concerns.

The government is considering the recommendation to ban prone restraint on children and require reporting. It outlines existing programs and guidance aimed at reducing restrictive practices but does not commit to the specific actions requested.

The government accepted the recommendation, stating that a single data set is now in place, collecting information from all NHS and private sector services and allowing for analysis at provider and ward level to improve data quality.

The government accepts the recommendation and states that a single data set already collects and analyses all the requested information from both NHS and private sector services, making this action already underway.

The government accepts the recommendation in part, accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) and committing £79 million to expand children and young people's mental health services. They also plan a new CQUIN incentive in April 2022 to improve A&E care for self-harm, requiring 80% of self-harm referrals to receive a biopsychosocial assessment.

The government accepts the recommendation in part, committing to accelerate the roll-out of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to cover 25% of the country by FY 2022/23 and 3 million children by FY 2023/24 with additional funding. Education Mental Health Practitioners' training includes competencies for self-harm and low mood, and a new CQUIN incentive will improve care for people who self-harm and attend A&E.

The government response does not directly address the recommendation for a community-based mental health offer but instructs the reader to refer to the response for Recommendation 3.

The government accepts the conclusion in part, planning to launch a public discussion paper to inform a new longer-term mental health strategy, engaging various sectors in a public health approach to mental health.

The government accepts the recommendation in part, planning to launch a public discussion paper to inform a new longer-term mental health strategy. This strategy aims to drive a wide-ranging conversation about improving mental health and wellbeing.