Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision for people discharged from mental health units.

The statutory guidance on discharge from mental health inpatient settings makes clear that National Health Service mental health trusts should have a clear plan in place for the ongoing care and support that a patient requires after discharge from a mental health inpatient setting. This should cover their pharmacological, psychological, social, cultural, and physical health, their education, housing, and finances, and any other individual needs or wishes.

Alongside this, NHS England is also developing new core standards of care for community mental health services to support the continued improvement of care received by people with serious mental illness who require intensive community treatment and follow-up, but where engagement is a challenge.

As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and shift care from hospitals into the community by improving community and crisis services, NHS England is piloting new models of care in the community for those with the most serious mental illnesses. New mental health centres will open in six neighbourhood areas from this spring, and will provide people and their families with support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if they are in crisis, without needing to book an appointment, as well as providing housing and employment advice to support them to stay well.

The Mental Health Bill, currently before Parliament, also aims to strengthen discharge arrangements for people detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act.