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 NHS mental health services remain open during the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown in England.

Children and young people’s mental health services will continue to remain open and accept new referrals, ensuring children, adults and parents can access appropriate support whether through face to face appointments where it is safe to do so, over the telephone or via digital means. Talking therapies delivered by Improved Access to Psychological therapies services will continue to be made available remotely so people can access help safely from home.

The option of face-to-face support will be provided to people with severe mental illnesses across all ages, where care can be provided in COVID-19 secure settings. The National Health Service has made all-age urgent mental health helplines available 24 hours a day, seven days a week across the country. We are also raising awareness of the resources and guidance available to adults, children and parents and carers through our Wellbeing and Mental Health Support Plan for COVID-19 and the ‘Every Mind Matters’ platform.