Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what requirements exist for follow-up contact within 48 hours of discharge from inpatient mental health services; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS compliance with these requirements.

There is no requirement that exists for follow-up contact within 48 hours of discharge from inpatient mental health services. There is, however, a follow up requirement for 72 hours post discharge, based on evidence from the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health that there is an increased risk of dying by suicide within this period.

This has been part of the NHS Standard Contract since 1 April 2020, which states that all people discharged from integrated care board (ICB) commissioned inpatient mental health services should be followed up within 72 hours. This applies to everyone who is discharged from an ICB-commissioned adult mental health inpatient bed to their place of residence, care home, residential accommodation, or to non-psychiatric care. All avenues need to be exploited to ensure patients are followed up within 72 hours of discharge.

This follow up requirement is reinforced through national statutory guidance on Discharge from mental health inpatient settings and data on performance is published on a monthly basis, with 73.3% of discharges in September 2025 meeting the ambition.