Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of compliance with the Mental Health Investment Standard by ICBs in each of the last four years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of integrated care boards (ICBs), formerly clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), meeting the Mental Health Investment Standard, meaning that their investment in mental health services increased in line with their overall increase in funding for the year, from 2020/21 to 2024/25:
Year | Number of CCGs/ICBs meeting the Mental Health Investment Standard |
2020/21 | 135 out of 135 CCGs |
2021/22 | 106 out of 106 CCGs |
2022/23 | 41 out of 42 ICBs |
2023/24 | 42 out of 42 ICBs |
2024/25 | Information not yet available |
Source: NHS Mental Health Dashboard, NHS England
Note: between 2020/21 and 2021/22 there was a methodology change in how ICB/CCG base allocation was calculated.
The calculation of the Mental Health Investment Standard does not include spend on learning disabilities, autism, dementia, and specialised commissioning.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help safeguard young people from (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The most effective and sustainable approach to safeguarding children and young people from drug and alcohol harm is by giving them the best start in life, and by keeping them safe, well, and happy. Our mission-based approach will ensure that every child has the best start in life and that we create the healthiest generation of children ever.
Statutory guidance on relationships, sex, and health education requires all primary and secondary schools to ensure that pupils know the key facts and risks associated with alcohol and drug use, as well as how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. The Department has worked with the Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education Association to develop lesson plans on alcohol and drugs and has commissioned an update of the resources to be published later this year.
The Government also has an alcohol and drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents, and concerned others. Further information is available on the Talk to FRANK website, which is available at the following link:
Children and families affected by parental alcohol and/or drug use can experience adverse health, social, and economic outcomes, which can continue for generations without effective interventions to break the cycle. The Department is continuing to invest in improvements to local alcohol and drug treatment services to ensure that those in need can access high quality help and support.
In addition to the Public Health Grant, local authorities have had a further £267 million from the Department this year to improve the quality and capacity of treatment. This is alongside the additional investment of £105 million made available by the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to improve treatment pathways and recovery, housing, and employment outcomes for people affected by alcohol and drug use.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a national water fluoridation strategy.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Water fluoridation is an effective population measure that reduces tooth decay. It should be used to complement other effective methods of increasing fluoride use, as set out in the statement by the UK Chief Medical Officers, which is available at the following link:
On 7 March 2025, we confirmed plans, following public consultation, to expand provision of water fluoridation in the north east of England. The outcome report is available at the following link:
There are no current plans for a national water fluoridation strategy. Any decisions on the future expansion of water fluoridation will be based on oral health needs, funding, and will be subject to public consultation.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the potential merits of conducting cross-conditional testing in the NHS when assessing for a neurodivergent condition to determine the potential co-occurrence of (a) autism and (b) ADHD to help (i) increase early diagnosis rates and (b) improve outcomes.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. The framework notes that autism should not be assessed without also considering the possibility of differential or co-occurring diagnoses.
In respect of ADHD, we are supportive of a cross-sector taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and support across sectors, and their impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support. The ADHD taskforce will also work closely with the Department for Education’s neurodivergence task and finish group.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities, with life expectancy varying widely across and within communities. The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups.
Existing initiatives to reduce inequalities in relation to health services in England include NHS England’s Core20PLUS5, which focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement in the poorest 20% of the population, along with other underserved population groups identified at a local level, including groups that share protected characteristics, and socially excluded groups such as people experiencing homelessness.
The Office of Health Improvement and Disparities’ North West Regional Team provides system leadership for population health and for reducing health inequalities across the North West. Mid Cheshire local authorities, the Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Cheshire East Council, received a combined total of £36.9 million in Public Health Grant funding for 2024/25. This provides services such as stop smoking, drug and alcohol treatment, health visiting and school nursing, sexual health, and NHS Health Checks, among others, all of which contribute to addressing health inequalities.
Across Cheshire and Merseyside, partners are working together as part of the All Together Fairer collaborative to improve health equity and the social determinants of health, through measurable actions for each place, to create a fairer, more equitable society.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps his Department is taking to increase access to NHS dentistry in (i) Mid Cheshire constituency, (ii) Cheshire and (iii) England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Cheshire constituency, this is the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to mental health services in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board is responsible for providing health and care services to meet the needs of the people of Mid Cheshire constituency and Cheshire, taking into account local considerations.
Nationally, we recognise that many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it. We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment which will also help ease pressure on hospitals. By cutting mental health waiting lists and intervening earlier with more timely mental health support, we can get this country back to good health.
We will also ensure every young person has access to a mental health professional at school, and set up Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the average waiting time for mental health treatment in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows both the mean and median average waiting times, measured in days, for mental health treatment for adults in the Cheshire East local authority, for the last five years:
Waiting time between referral and second contact for adults in the Cheshire East local authority | |||
Year in which contact occurred | Number of adult referrals with a second contact in the year | Mean average waiting time | Median average waiting time |
2019/20 | 5,262 | 148.8 | 51 |
2020/21 | 5,986 | 122.2 | 34 |
2021/22 | 4,285 | 156.3 | 43.5 |
2022/23 | 3,005 | 234.3 | 69 |
2023/24 | 5,165 | 206.4 | 51 |
Similarly, the following table shows both the mean and median average waiting times, measured in days, for mental health treatment for children and young people aged under 18 years old in the Cheshire East local authority, for the last five years:
Waiting time between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old in the Cheshire East local authority | |||
Year in which contact occurred | Number of child referrals with a first contact in the year | Mean average waiting time | Median average waiting time |
2019/20 | 3,244 | 133.5 | 28 |
2020/21 | 2,854 | 71.1 | 17 |
2021/22 | 2,810 | 139.6 | 27 |
2022/23 | 3,615 | 197.1 | 46 |
2023/24 | 4,145 | 104.3 | 30 |
The following table shows both the mean and median average waiting times, measured in days, for mental health treatment for adults in the Cheshire East and Cheshire West, and Chester local authorities combined, for the last five years:
Waiting time between referral and second contact for adults for the Cheshire East and Cheshire West, and Chester local authorities combined | |||
Year in which contact occurred | Number of adult referrals with a second contact in the year | Mean average waiting time | Median average waiting time |
2019/20 | 10,328 | 132.9 | 47 |
2020/21 | 10,474 | 115.6 | 27 |
2021/22 | 7,645 | 164.8 | 48 |
2022/23 | 6,210 | 218.1 | 56 |
2023/24 | 10,005 | 157.9 | 34 |
In addition, the following table shows both the mean and median average waiting times, measured in days, for mental health treatment for children and young people aged under 18 years old in the Cheshire East and Cheshire West, and Chester local authorities combined, for the last five years:
Waiting time between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old for Cheshire East, and Cheshire West and Chester local authorities combined | |||
Year in which contact occurred | Number of child referrals with a first contact in the year | Mean average waiting time | Median average waiting time |
2019/20 | 5,300 | 106.0 | 27 |
2020/21 | 4,732 | 63.1 | 14.5 |
2021/22 | 4,510 | 133.2 | 26 |
2022/23 | 5,715 | 172.9 | 44 |
2023/24 | 7,310 | 83.3 | 30 |
The following table shows both the mean and median average waiting times, measured in days, for mental health treatment for adults in England, for the last five years:
Waiting time between referral and second contact for adults in England | |||
Year in which contact occurred | Number of adult referrals with a second contact in the year | Mean average waiting time | Median average waiting time |
2019/20 | 1,137,746 | 82.1 | 20 |
2020/21 | 1,139,423 | 69.7 | 13 |
2021/22 | 1,188,529 | 63.6 | 15 |
2022/23 | 1,176,748 | 68.2 | 19 |
2023/24 | 1,289,417 | 72.3 | 20 |
Finally, the following table shows both the mean and median average waiting times, measured in days, for mental health treatment for children and young people aged under 18 years old in England, for the last five years:
Waiting time between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old in England | |||
Year in which contact occurred | Number of child referrals with a first contact in the year | Mean average waiting time | Median average waiting time |
2019/20 | 567,236 | 81.6 | 13 |
2020/21 | 568,703 | 75.3 | 7 |
2021/22 | 652,869 | 65.0 | 11 |
2022/23 | 674,702 | 69.7 | 13 |
2023/24 | 744,506 | 75.4 | 14 |
Source: Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS), NHS England
Notes:
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for NHS treatment in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. This means making sure that patients are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has now announced new investment to support this. Funding has been provided to support the delivery of our commitment to an extra 40,000 NHS operations, scans, and appointments per week. A £1.5 billion capital investment has also been announced towards new surgical hubs and scanners, alongside £70 million for new radiotherapy machines. We will be supporting NHS trusts to deliver more activity through innovation, sharing best practice to increase productivity and efficiency, and ensuring the best value is delivered.
We are transforming diagnostics to cut long waits through the Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs). In Cheshire there are four CDCs currently delivering much needed diagnostic activity, specifically: the Congleton War Memorial CDC; the Shopping City CDC; the Warrington and Halton CDC; and the CDC at Victoria Infirmary Northwich, located within the Mid-cheshire constituency, which has been delivering activity since October 2021.
Dedicated and protected surgical hubs are transforming the way the NHS providers elective care by focusing on high volume low complexity surgeries. Across England, there are currently 110 operational surgical hubs as of September 2024. In Cheshire, a new surgical hub is due to open in April 2025, the Cheshire and Merseyside Surgical Centre, and will provide services to patients across Cheshire and Merseyside.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps his Department is taking to support the work of Air Ambulance charities.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and the National Health Service continue to support the work of air ambulance charities, including through NHS ambulance trusts’ provision of key clinical staff and medical equipment, which supports the operation of air ambulances.