Ambulance Services: Mental Health Services

(asked on 24th January 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 23 January on Mental Health Update, HCWS512, what estimate he has made of the cost of each mental health ambulance.


Answered by
Maria Caulfield Portrait
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This question was answered on 30th January 2023

No assessment has been made. NHS England are leading the centralised procurement of the up to 100 mental health ambulances as part of the £150 million capital investment detailed on Monday 23 January at a total cost of £7 million. This total cost is based on a national co-designed specification and benchmark averages.

The £150 million capital investment is also already supporting over 25 schemes which will provide new or improved health-based places of safety and Section 136 suites. Further allocations from the funding are currently being considered by NHS England.

Staffing requirements, training needs, and management arrangements for mental health urgent and emergency care will vary depending on the services and facilities provided in local areas. We are supporting the mental health workforce including through the ambition to deliver an additional 27,000 mental health staff by the end of 2023/24.

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