Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that each sustainability and transformation plan area improves community-based support for people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and autism.

NHS England’s national mental health team and regional teams are working closely with Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) footprints to deliver the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health commitments, based on the trajectories published in Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health.

As part of NHS England’s delivery approach, national and regional mental health leads are working together to track progress across the mental health programme in STPs, and areas are being offered targeted support to build leadership and improve commissioning and quality.

Through this and careful tracking of progress and investment, NHS England will ensure implementation of recommendations to improve community-based support for people with mental health conditions.

Plans to improve community-based support for people with learning disabilities and autism with behaviour that challenges are detailed in Transforming Care Plans (TCPs), which are closely linked to STPs. Each area of England has produced a TCP demonstrating a reduction in the number of inpatient beds and strengthening the community services in their area for people with learning disability and autism. The plans have detailed milestones to support delivery, and are scrutinised at regional and at national level.

Local authorities and National Health Service commissioners are required to take account of the 2009 Autism Act. The autism strategy, Think Autism, published in 2014, and its statutory guidance supports the effective development of local strategies to design and deliver services for meeting the needs of adults with autism.