4th Report - Community Mental Health Services

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.