Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the Mental Health Taskforce has made on developing a new five-year national strategy for mental health; with which groups and organisations that taskforce is consulting; when it is expected that taskforce will publish its final report; and whether that taskforce plans to publish an interim report.

Formed in March 2015, the principal task of the Mental Health Taskforce is to develop a new five-year all-ages national strategy for mental health. In order to develop the strategy, the Taskforce is exploring the variation in access to and quality of mental health services across England; looking at outcomes for people who are and are not able to access services and consider ways to tackle the prevention of mental health problems.

The Mental Health Taskforce is chaired by Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, and Vice-Chaired by Jacqui Dyer, expert-by-experience. Membership includes senior representatives from partner arm’s length bodies who hold critical responsibilities related to the planning and delivery of care. It also includes representatives from the third sector, providers and professional bodies. Members of the Taskforce hold responsibility to ensure that there is cross-system commitment and alignment in developing a national strategy and that continued partnership, working effectively and meaningfully, delivers the strategy.

The Taskforce is drawing on expertise from a range of individuals and organisations, including each member of the Taskforce organisation’s constituent memberships.

These include:

Age UK

British Psychological Society

Care Quality Commission

Clinical Commissioning Group Leadership Network

College of Social Work

Department of Health

Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (Vanguard)

Health Education England

Local Government Association

NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network

NHS England

Mind

Monitor

NSUN

Public Health England

Rethink Mental Illness

Royal College of General Practitioners

Royal College of Nursing

Royal College of Psychiatrists

Trust Development Authority

Young Minds

To date, the Taskforce has heard from more than 20,000 individuals on their priorities for change, through an online survey and engagement events hosted by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness.

The Taskforce has also heard from a wide range of individuals and organisations about priorities for change and how this can be achieved. Content has been received from people inside and outside the National Health Service, via the email address promoted since the Taskforce launch.

Contributions continue to be received by the Taskforce on an on-going basis. To date, the organisations the Taskforce have received formal submissions from are:

Alzheimer’s Society

Gloucester Young Carers

London Metropolitan Police

Making Every Adult Matter

Mental Health Immigration Detention Working Group

National Autistic Society

NHS Clinical Commissioners Mental Health Network

NHS Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group

Plymouth University Service User Group

Psychologists Against Austerity

Relate: The Relationship People

Rethink Mental Illness

Society for Clinical Academic Hypnosis

St. Mungoes

Stonewall

Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships

The planned time-frame is as follows:

- The Mental Health Taskforce is working to establish priority outcomes for the strategy.

- Through the summer the Mental Health Taskforce will expand public and cross-sector engagement.

- In the autumn the Mental Health Taskforce will publish the five-year strategy.