Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department will take to monitor and publicise progress towards adding 21,000 posts and 19,000 additional mental health staff by 2020.

Health Education England (HEE), in partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement, is actively working on the developing a dashboard for mental health which will include workforce supply to monitor progress on the delivery of the commitment for 21,000 posts and 19,000 new staff.

The dashboard will be used to monitor progress at the Mental Health and Dementia Programme Board (chaired by Senior Representation Officer) which is scheduled for 1 February 2018.

HEE has established a monthly Mental Health Workforce Delivery Group, membership of which includes arm’s length bodies, the Department and the Cabinet Office Improvement Unit and this group will oversee the development of this work.