Fourth Report - Rural Mental Health

Select Committee
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee HC 248 18 May 2023
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 31 items (21 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 31 of 31 classified)
Accepted 10
Accepted in Part 4
Acknowledged 7
Not Addressed 2
Rejected 8
Clear

Recommendations

7 results
11 Rejected
Para 96
Establish a national working group and set targets to improve rural mental health outcomes
Recommendation
DEFRA has produced a welcome framework and associated guidance for rural proofing policy but, for instance, claimed close working with DHSC and NHSE 78 Rural Mental Health over the new 10-year cross-government Mental health and wellbeing plan has not so … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for a new joint DEFRA/DHSC rural mental health team and a national working group, preferring existing collaborative channels and a new Mental Health Impact Assessment Tool. It also rejects consulting on using the Rural Wellbeing Framework for measuring rural communities' mental health.
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15 Rejected
Para 122
Open up NHS access for rural veterinary community, supporting flexible appointments and appropriate digital provision.
Recommendation
The NHS also needs to open-up access to the rural veterinary community to reflect restrictions on their ability to attend appointments, and support people who need to Rural Mental Health 79 continue practising. Better digital provision could improve service access … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government highlights existing support initiatives for the veterinary profession but states there are no plans to commission a specific training programme for rural NHS staff. It promotes existing digital and remote access options for mental health services as beneficial for rural communities.
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17 Rejected
Para 124
Issue call for evidence on ICS effectiveness for rural mental health services by March 2024.
Recommendation
We recommend the joint rural mental health policy and delivery team issue a call for evidence on the effectiveness of the ICS-model for providing rural communities with access to mental health services and publish its findings with proposals to address … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government rejects launching a call for evidence or setting national targets related to the ICS model for rural mental health, stating it does not align with NHS England's new operating model of local accountability. It reiterates that work is already underway through ICSs and local public health teams.
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18 Rejected
Para 133
Consult on proposals to expand preventative mental health support for rural children and young people.
Recommendation
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) have been under intense pressure for many years, but a lack of alternative rural social infrastructure and a fall in support for youth services means CAMHS is often the “only show in town”. … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government outlines its existing rollout for Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) but does not commit to expanding provision to 100% of rural schools by 2026/27. For Early Support Hubs, it has commissioned a longitudinal study but does not commit to establishing and funding them by 2024/25.
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19 Rejected
Identify farming and veterinary mental health as priorities and develop specific NHS staff training.
Recommendation
It is very important for the farming and veterinary communities to feel that their circumstances are understood by NHS staff when seeking to access, or receiving, support (otherwise this may work against help-seeking behaviours). Charities with specialist-knowledge can gain people’s … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government recognizes the importance of mental health for farming and veterinary communities but explicitly rejects developing a work programme with specific measures and targets, citing misalignment with NHS England's operating model. It also states there are no plans to commission a specific training programme for rural NHS staff.
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24 Rejected
Establish dedicated funding stream for rural communities' mental health needs during crisis events.
Recommendation
We recommend that by the end of this year, 2023: a) DEFRA and DHSC, working with all relevant public health, environmental and first responder stakeholders, assess the readiness of local plans for crisis events, and commence consultations on upgrading local … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation to establish a dedicated rural mental health funding stream, stating there are no such plans. While acknowledging the need for close planning and provision of support, the response did not commit to assessing the readiness of local plans or commencing consultations on upgrading preparedness as recommended.
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26 Rejected
Para 167
Fund and roll-out Mental Health First Aid training for front-line staff supporting farmers.
Recommendation
We hope that DEFRA’s attempt to reduce regulatory stress is a positive change in cultural practice. However, encouraging and investing in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for people dealing with farmers is a pre-requisite to ensure they are skilled … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government did not commit to prioritising mental health support as a key deliverable within the Farm Resilience Fund, instead noting its indirect positive impact and current signposting services. It rejected developing an implementation plan to fund and roll out Mental Health First Aid training, stating existing regulations allow employers to tailor first aid provisions rather than prescribing specific mental health training.
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10 Conclusion Rejected
Para 95
Although DEFRA is clearly responsible for working with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to ensure mental health policy and services are rural proofed, it is unclear what priority, resources and energy DEFRA has assigned to achieving impact in this area. The NHS Long Term Plan and Mental …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of rural proofing health policy and inter-departmental collaboration but rejects the idea of a joint Defra/DHSC rural mental health policy and delivery team, stating existing channels are more effective. It confirms the Rural Wellbeing Framework is not intended for measuring rural mental health and will not be used for that purpose, pointing instead to the roll-out of a Mental Health Impact Assessment Tool.
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