Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to improve access to mental health services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to improve access to mental health services by hiring more staff, delivering more early interventions and getting waiting lists down.
We will transform mental health services into 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres. I had the pleasure of visiting the Barnsley Street Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre last week, a pilot site which showcased holistic person-centred care.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure school staff have access to training and resources to identify and support pupils at risk of developing an eating disorder.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Education staff’s daily contact with pupils enables them to identify those who may need support and make timely referrals to the appropriate services.
To support them, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources to help them identify children in need of extra support. For example, a resource hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help choose evidence-based targeted support for pupils.
The government has committed to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Work is also under way to enhance the capability and capacity of MHST staff, including through investing £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff, so that they can offer more effective support to young people with complex needs such as disordered eating.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Minister in his Department is responsible for eating disorder services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women’s Health and Mental Health (Baroness Merron) has ministerial responsibility for eating disorder services.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
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 ensure the accurate recording of deaths related to eating disorders; and what steps he is taking with the (a) National Medical Examiner, (b) Office for National Statistics and (c) Coroners' Society of England and Wales to increase understanding of how eating disorders contribute to deaths.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is important that all deaths are recorded accurately, and it is right that the extent to which eating disorders and other factors have caused or contributed to deaths should be explored further, in collaboration with stakeholders including the National Medical Examiner, the Office for National Statistics, and the Coroners' Society of England and Wales.
The National Medical Examiner’s Good Practice Series No. 7 on mental health and eating disorders, published in June 2022, makes it clear to medical examiners how mental health conditions, including eating disorders, should be recorded on the medical certificate of cause of death. The Good Practice Series No. 7 is available at the following link:
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether consideration has been given to the importance of (a) gardening and (b) nature-based therapies in improving (i) physical, (ii) social and (iii) mental health in the development of a neighbourhood health service.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Heath Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier, supporting people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer. There will be a focus on shifting the way services are delivered to put the needs of people and places at the heart of the health and care system.
We recognise the value of social prescribing for addressing the wider determinants of health that can impact on an individual’s wellbeing. Green social prescribing is the practice of supporting people to engage in nature-based interventions and activities, and can include gardening and nature-based therapies. We know that it can help people from a range of backgrounds to connect with nature to improve their physical, social, and mental health. We remain committed to the development of social prescribing through our ambition to focus on a preventative approach to health inequalities and to deliver support closer to home, in our communities.
The full vision for the health care system will be set out in 10-Year Health Plan. However, Neighbourhood Health Guidelines were published alongside the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, to help integrated care boards, local authorities, and health and care providers to continue to progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) outdoor learning and (b) horticultural education on the development of (i) children and (ii) young people.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The department has not undertaken a specific assessment on the potential impact of outdoor learning and horticultural education on the development of children and young people.
However, access to green space has been shown to have positive impacts on the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of young people. The department is currently working closely with the University of Oxford on research intended to assess the evidence of the impact of nature-based programmes delivered through schools for mental health and wellbeing in children and young people.
Schools have the freedom to teach about horticulture in the curriculum. For example, in science, pupils are taught the topics of plants and living things and their habitats, giving them the opportunity to find out about plants and the environments in which they flourish.