Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what medical research the Government has funded into anxiety.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The remit of the NIHR is early translational, that is experimental medicine, clinical and applied health research, and social care research. In 2022/23, the NIHR spent approximately £99 million on research into mental health. In the last 10 years, the NIHR has invested approximately £41.5 million into research specifically focused, or including a focus, on anxiety and/or anxiety disorder. The NIHR is not currently funding any research explicitly focused on ‘bad nerves’. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including mental health.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) full and (b) part time work on (i) bad nerves, (ii) anxiety and (iii) depression in working age adults.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research has found strong evidence showing that work is generally good for both physical and mental health and well-being, although this does not distinguish between full-time and part-time work. The research is available at the following link:
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has established criteria for when it would intervene to require the NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board to commission additional services at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not have any plans to intervene in the commissioning of National Health Service healthcare services undertaken by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory duty to commission most NHS healthcare services for their respective populations in line with their other statutory duties and guidance. The performance of ICBs in the exercise of their functions is assessed, annually, by NHS England. The NHS Oversight Framework describes NHS England’s approach to the oversight of ICBs, and is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhs-oversight-framework/
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information (a) her Department and (b) the NHS has collected on (i) interventions, (ii) strategies and (iii) policies that are successful at reducing levels of (A) depression, (B) bad nerves and (C) anxiety in the working age population.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Considerable progress has been made in developing effective psychological therapies for these conditions. This progress has been recognised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which now recommends psychological therapies as first choice interventions for depression and anxiety disorders, including bad nerves. Individuals who are seen within NHS Talking Therapies services can expect to receive a course of NICE-recommended psychological therapy from an appropriately trained individual. Services are delivered using a stepped-care model, which works according to the principle that people should be offered the least intrusive intervention appropriate for their needs first.
In 2021/22, over 1.2 million people were able to access NHS Talking Therapies services. This expansion was the result of training and deploying thousands of new psychological therapists and practitioners, as well as providing additional training modules for existing therapists. The recovery rate was 50% in 2021/22. The 2023 Autumn Statement invested further in NHS Talking Therapies. This will increase the number of sessions per course of Talking Therapies treatment to tackle the root causes of common mental health conditions like anxiety and depression and broaden access, leading to an expected additional 384,000 people completing a course of treatment by 2028/29.
There is an extensive literature showing that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and NHS Talking Therapies more widely have significant positive and durable health impacts, including for those of working age specifically. A University of Sheffield study highlighted a large post-treatment effect in depression and anxiety measures in the United Kingdom.
Another UK study by Professor David Clark found that around 50% of patients treated in NHS Talking Therapies services recover, and two-thirds show worthwhile benefits.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps (a) her Department and (b) the NHS is taking to (i) manage and (ii) reduce the growth of (A) depression, (B) bad nerves and (C) anxiety in the working age population.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We are investing £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by March 2024 compared to 2018/19 to expand and transform mental health services in England so that two million more people can get the mental health support that they need. This includes expanding NHS Talking Therapies for adults with common mental illness such as depression or anxiety, and including bad nerves.
The Spring 2023 Budget contained several packages that support mental health, including over £400 million to support the long-term sick and disabled to remain in or enter employment. This includes around £200 million for digital mental health, which is funding to modernise and digitise mental health services in England, providing wellness and clinical grade apps free at the point of use, pilot cutting-edge digital therapies and digitise the NHS Talking Therapies programme.
In addition, as announced at the 2023 Autumn Statement, we are further expanding and improving Talking Therapies from 2024/25 to 2028/29 so that an additional 384,000 people with anxiety or depression can benefit from accessing a course of treatment. The additional funding will also enable us to increase the average number of therapy sessions that each person can access, helping more people to recover.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of social media by different age groups on levels of (a) depression, (b) bad nerves and (c) anxiety.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have funded independent research into the impact of screen-based activities, including use of social media on young people’s mental health outcomes. Following this, in 2019, the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) produced advice for parents and carers on screen and social media use.
The findings of the research were insufficiently conclusive to support evidence-based guidelines by the CMOs on optimal amounts of screen use or online activities. However, we will continue to evaluate this and our policy development in light of any new research. The findings of the research are available at the following link:
http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=3748
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) her Department and (b) the NHS collects data on rates of (i) depression, (ii) bad nerves and (iii) anxiety in (A) men and (B) women.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Adult Psychiatry Morbidity Survey provides data on the prevalence of adult mental health conditions in the England adult population, including common mental health disorders such as ‘depressive episodes’ and ‘generalised anxiety disorders’ split by men and women.
Previous surveys were conducted in 1993, 2000, 2007 and the latest published one is 2014. Fieldwork for the next survey is underway, with reporting scheduled for 2025.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many funded places his Department intends to provide at the Three Counties Medical School in Worcester.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government currently has no plans to provide funding nor to allocate funded places to the Three Counties Medical School in Worcester. However, this is continually under review.
The Government has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term plan for the National Health Service workforce for the next 15 years. This will look at the mix and number of staff required across all parts of the country, including doctors.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding he plans to allocate to fund places at the Three Counties Medical School in Worcester.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government currently has no plans to provide funding nor to allocate funded places to the Three Counties Medical School in Worcester. However, this is continually under review.
The Government has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term plan for the National Health Service workforce for the next 15 years. This will look at the mix and number of staff required across all parts of the country, including doctors.
Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
What steps he is taking to improve GP services.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
General Practitioner (GP) services are critically important to support our ambition for people to live independent, healthier lives for longer. Our NHS Long Term Plan commits at least £4.5billion a year more for primary and community care by 2023, and we remain committed to delivering an additional 5,000 GPs.
Our landmark five-year GP contract will better integrate care through Primary Care Networks and see an extra 20,000 primary care staff, so every patient has faster access to the most appropriate primary care professional.