Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to increase access to specialist children and young people’s mental health provision, specifically for children in the first two years of life as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Our ambition in the NHS Long Term Plan is to create a comprehensive offer for 0-25 year olds that reaches across mental health services for children, young people and adults.

Through the Plan we are increasing mental health funding by at least an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24. This will see an additional 345,000 children and young people, and 370,000 adults, accessing specialist mental health care if they need it.

In addition, the Rt hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Andrea Leadsom MP) is leading a new review, commissioned by the Prime Minister, into improving health outcomes of babies and young children. The review will consider the barriers that impact on early-years development, including social and emotional factors and early childhood experiences.

She is expected to submit her findings and policy recommendations from the first phase of the Review into Early Years Health in January 2021. This will contribute to the Government’s vision for excellence in early-years health.