Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timeframe is for a decision on whether there will be a public inquiry relating to the Edenfield Centre.

In November 2022, NHS England announced an independent review into the unacceptable incidents which took place at the Edenfield Centre at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust last year. The independent review team has met with over 400 people and has submitted its draft report to NHS England, the trust, and other relevant parties. Publication of the investigation’s final report is expected in early January 2024. We will carefully consider the report’s findings before deciding what, if any, next steps may be needed.

More widely, we are working with the newly established Health Services Safety Investigations Body to prepare for the launch of a series of investigations into mental health inpatient care settings in England to identify where improvements can be made, increase the quality of care and reduce the risk to patient safety.