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 impact of rising living costs on mental health outcomes in Redditch.

We recognise the effect that financial pressures, such as those caused by rising living costs, can have on some people’s mental health, including in Redditch. The cross-Government, cross-sector suicide prevention strategy for England includes financial difficulty as a priority area for action and sets out work Government departments are doing to address this.

We have also worked with colleagues at HM Treasury and the Money and Pensions Service to promote the mental health Breathing Space scheme, which gives those with mental ill health facing financial difficulties space to receive debt advice, without pressure from creditors or mounting debts.

This is in addition to the mental health support available through general practitioners, NHS Talking Therapies, and NHS 111. Through the 10-Year Health Plan we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029. We are also accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029.