Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the mental health training that paramedics receive.

The College of Paramedics (CoP) Paramedic Evidence Based Education Project Report and Health Education England (HEE) found that paramedics could make a larger contribution to urgent and emergency care with enhanced knowledge and skills, including in dementia and mental health awareness.

These new areas of enhanced knowledge and skills are included in the new edition of the CoP undergraduate paramedic curriculum. This curriculum must be used by all higher education institutions providing paramedic courses.

HEE has continued to support and invest in this aspect of the paramedic skill base by funding and working alongside CoP to develop a suite of bitesize online continuing professional development modules for paramedics, including dementia and mental health awareness.

The Paramedic Evidence Based Education Project Report can be found at:

https://www.collegeofparamedics.co.uk/publications/paramedic-evidence-based-education-project-peep