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 accessibility to NHS mental health services for residents in Leeds South West and Morley, including average waiting times for assessment and treatment.

NHS North East and Yorkshire have stated that for NHS Talking Therapies services, the current waiting time from referral to assessment is approximately six weeks, with faster access available where clinically necessary. For children and young people’s mental health services (CAMHS), access has improved significantly, with the combined waiting list reducing from 1,795 in April 2025 to 914 in March 2026. Overall, 82.68% of children and young people are waiting less than 18 weeks for care.

Performance across specific pathways has also strengthened. For example, 94% of children and young people are seen within 18 weeks in medication clinics, with most seen in under 10 weeks, neurodevelopmental diagnostic assessments are typically completed within 12 to 16 weeks, and over 94% of those accessing therapies and eating disorder services are seen within zero to 12 weeks. In addition, core, crisis, and specialist teams have achieved 100% compliance with the 18‑week standard, reflecting sustained improvements in accessibility.