Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of prescribing mindfulness on the NHS for mental health issues.

No specific assessment has been made. Mindfulness-based therapies are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as a way to treat less severe depression.

The £200 million funding announced for digital mental health by my Rt hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, at the Spring Budget will, in part, be used to modernise and digitise mental health services in England, including by providing wellness and clinical-grade apps, many of which include elements of mindfulness.

Information about mindfulness is included in other resources available to support mental health and wellbeing, such as Every Mind Matters, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/

Further information is available from the NHS website at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/mindfulness/