Oral Answers to Questions

Alison McGovern Excerpts

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) (Lab)]

5. What steps she is taking to help improve the health of young people.

[The Minister for Social Care and Mental Health (Alison McGovern)]

We commissioned the independent Fonagy review, which made it clear that mental distress has increased for young people and particularly young women. That is why we have already improved mental health support in schools for young people, and we will publish a new mental health strategy by Christmas.

[Dr Opher]

As the Minister knows, over 1 million young people are currently on the mental health waiting list. In Stroud, and in the South Bank centre, I am working with clinical teams and creative teams to offer early intervention to these young people, with social prescriptions for music, art, access to nature and exercise, and indeed stand-up comedy. Following the Fonagy review, which recommends support in the community with lower-level clinical services and on an earlier basis, does she support those initiatives, and may I meet her to discuss them?

[Alison McGovern]

Of course my hon. Friend can meet me to discuss stand-up comedy—I would like nothing more. Clinical services are important. We are already asking ICBs to reduce the longest waits for children and young people, and we have had a 14% decrease, but good mental health for young people goes way beyond that. My hon. Friend knows that I love art, sport and culture as much as he does.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

The new Weybridge health centre in my constituency, which is being rebuilt following the fire in 2017, was planned to provide a range of general services. When I visited it recently, I learned that the first floor still does not have tenants in place. Will the Minister meet me and representatives from the Phoenix family practice to discuss how we can ensure that Weybridge gets the best possible broad healthcare provision?

[Alison McGovern]

As you know, Mr Speaker, I always meet any Member who asks me to, but it may be that another Minister would be more relevant for the hon. Member’s health centre. We will check that and ensure he has the right meeting, because it sounds like a great community resource.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst (Solihull West and Shirley) (Con)]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I start by associating myself with your remarks on the tragic events involving Helen Haines over the last 24 hours?

According to a recent report from Future Minds, more than 2.7 million referrals have been made since the last election to children’s and young people’s mental health services in England, with more than a third of those referred still awaiting treatment. How can the Government seriously claim to be tackling the rising number of young people not in education, employment or training while simultaneously overseeing the waiting list run out of control?

[Alison McGovern]

I refer the shadow Minister to the Fonagy review. It details the causes, which started before covid, of the rise in mental distress for young people. As I mentioned a moment ago, we are already asking ICBs to reduce the longest wait, and we have seen some successes with that, but we have way more to do to address this challenge. We will have more to say in the mental health strategy that will be published soon.

[Jessica Toale (Bournemouth West) (Lab)]

6. What steps her Department is taking to support women affected by diethylstilbesterol.

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[Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Gateshead South) (Lab)]

T8. I had the pleasure last week of meeting Her Majesty the Queen to discuss the importance of having fracture liaison services in every NHS trust, to which this Government have already committed. On World Osteoporosis Day, will the Minister outline what steps her Department is taking to develop the long-overdue national implementation plan for universal access to fracture prevention services by 2030?

[The Minister for Social Care and Mental Health (Alison McGovern)]

It is no surprise to me, given my hon. Friend’s record of campaigning on this and many other issues, and the work that she did in opposition and in government, that she would be in such august company to discuss this matter. I pay tribute to her and all the campaigners, because osteoporosis can have a devastating impact on health. She knows we are committed to improving care, in particular by rolling out state-of-the-art scanners, and I am sure we will meet soon to discuss it.

[Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)]

The Government propose to abolish Healthwatch and bring its functions inside the Department and local NHS bodies, but patients need an independent champion who can challenge things when they go wrong. What savings does the Minister believe will result from abolishing Healthwatch? How will she ensure that this does not result in the loss of an independent voice for patients?

[Lizzi Collinge (Morecambe and Lunesdale) (Lab)]

T9. As the Minister knows, I work with a lot of dying people and their families, so good palliative care is important to me, as it is to my constituents. Recently, this House turned down an opportunity to expand end-of-life care, with some opponents citing the state of palliative care as the reason for voting against assisted dying. What is the Minister doing to improve palliative care, particularly in the light of recent announcements about a national care service?

[Alison McGovern]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for all her work with hospices and others on palliative and end-of-life care. I think everybody right across this House wants to see it improved. We have a modern service framework on its way, and as part of the national care service that we are working on, we will make sure that we care for the dying in a much better way in this country.

[Paul Holmes (Hamble Valley) (Con)]

I recently visited Newmedica in my constituency to see the vital role that independent providers have in offering NHS-funded eye surgery and care. With the Health Bill progressing, what assurances can the Minister provide that it will strengthen the right to choose across all providers and ensure that ICBs make full use of all the choices, which my ICB is not?

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[Markus Campbell-Savours (Penrith and Solway) (Lab)]

For those considering suicide, the message must be that there is always another way, but with new Office for National Statistics data showing that the rate of suicide in Cumberland has increased yet again, would Ministers meet me and Cumbrian Members to ensure that our health system is providing support to all when they need it?

[Alison McGovern]

I thank my hon. Friend for that important question. On such an important issue, I will of course meet him. We have had a number of very important debates on this issue, which shows how important Members across the House think this is.

[Bradley Thomas (Bromsgrove) (Con)]

It can take far too long for patients to receive a diagnosis of Lyme disease. My constituent Gill, who is a nurse, gave her life to the NHS, but it failed to diagnose her and she had to seek treatment from abroad. Will the Minister meet me and Gill to discuss what went wrong?

[Darren Paffey (Southampton Itchen) (Lab)]

The damning ITV News investigation of failings in disability care covered the case of Adam Crook, son of my constituent Joanna, who raised serious allegations about alleged assault and unexplained burns, yet these serious concerns remain unanswered. The care home still has not been inspected since 2021 and the provider has faced no sanctions. Will the Minister please ensure that this is investigated, that the CQC acts and that those responsible are held accountable?

[Alison McGovern]

I would like to thank my hon. Friend for his question and, through him, to pass on my concerns to the family he mentions. I will write to him on what the CQC is doing. Baroness Louise Casey has recommended some safeguarding steps that we should take urgently, which we are doing—we have a new national safeguarding board—and I will draw the chief social worker’s attention to the case he mentions.

[Dr Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire) (Green)]

Constituents in North Herefordshire and across the country want an end to the current postcode lottery in access to adult social care. The King’s Fund published a report on equal access just last week. Has the Minister read that report, and does she agree that social care needs to be locally delivered, but nationally funded?

[Alison McGovern]

The hon. Lady makes an excellent point. The research is good, and the crisis we are seeing in some hospitals as we turn the ship around is because we have not grappled with the issue of social care. We must make sure people are cared for in their own homes, and we must do that consistently to help our NHS.

[Luke Myer (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) (Lab)]

Will Ministers meet me to discuss the future of East Cleveland hospital and what other services we can get closer to our community?