Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement entitled Mental Health Conditions, Autism and ADHD Prevalence and Support, published on 4 December 2025, HCWS1132, what criteria will be used to appoint members to the Advisory Working Group, how individuals with lived experience will be involved in the development and scrutiny of the Review’s findings, and what steps he plans to take to ensure that any recommendations accepted by the Government are implemented uniformly across Integrated Care Boards and local authorities, with transparent reporting and measurable outcomes.

The Chair and vice-chairs of the independent review into the prevalence of and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism will appoint an Advisory Working Group which involves a multidisciplinary group of leading academics, clinicians, epidemiological experts, charities, and people with lived experience to directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence. As the review is independent it is for the chairs to determine the process for engaging.

The Government has begun to address fundamental problems in National Health Service mental health services and will progress towards a new approach for mental health in 2026. As part of this we are radically enhancing transparency of mental health providers with consequences for poor performance. New league tables are driving improvement in the quality and safety of care, rewarding improvement and success. We are tackling unacceptable failures in care quality through stronger accountability and enhanced support.