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 implications for his polices of the report of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute on people with debt problem debt while receiving hospital treatment for mental health issues.

The Government recognises the impact that debt may have on mental health and wellbeing and the difficulties that may be experienced by people with mental health problems in managing their debt. The Government will consider the recommendations of the report published by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, ‘Recovery Space: Minimising the financial harm caused by mental health crisis’.

In January 2017, the Prime Minister announced the Government would review the practice of general practitioners charging patients experiencing debt issues to complete Mental Health Evidence Forms when they require medical evidence for their creditors. The Department is working with the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute and a range of stakeholders from the financial and debt advice sectors and the British Medical Association to undertake the review, which we will publish in due course.