Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure adequate 24-hour crisis care is available for community mental health patients throughout the UK.

Under the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 in mental health services. Much of this increased investment will be used to increase community-based early intervention and crisis care services as an alternative to hospital admission and ensure timely, universal mental health crisis care for everyone.

We have set out ambitious measures to improve crisis care services including a new national single point of access to crisis care via NHS 111, new mental health transport vehicles and better training for ambulance staff to deal with mental health crises as well as increased investment in complementary and alternative crisis services (sanctuaries, crisis houses etc).