2. Will the First Minister make a statement on adult mental health services in Wales? OAQ51382

Improving mental health services continues to be a priority for the Welsh Government and we have committed a further £40 million for mental health services over the next two years.

First Minister, I'm really glad to see that you are increasing the resources for those suffering with mental health problems. But what I'm finding in Aberconwy is the interpretation of the Mental Health Act 1983—. And I know that many our patients are finding this very hard to navigate when it comes to support required. Even I, when I'm dealing on behalf of my constituents—it's really hard to ensure that statutory bodies are complying with this legislation, even down to treatment and care plans. When you ask the statutory partners responsible for a copy of the treatment and care plan, more often than not, we have to wait weeks to receive them. They've never, ever been written up in advance. I'm talking about people with complex mental health conditions. What will you do, as First Minister please, to ensure that it's not just the case of throwing money at this, and that strategic and well-intentioned plans are in place for these people who are, on some occasions, falling through the net and becoming very, very vulnerable indeed?

We do expect, of course, public bodies to comply with the law. She asks about what structure should be in place. Leaving aside the issue of the amount of money available, our 10-year mental health strategy, 'Together for Mental Health', takes a population approach to improving the mental well-being of people in Wales and supporting people with a mental illness. We want to make sure that people can have access to talking therapies, for example. We're looking at ways of helping young people even more, and she will be aware, of course, of the money that's being put in place for child and adolescent mental health services. But we certainly expect that, where public bodies are expected to comply with legislation, they do so.

First Minister, let me tell you about a 30-year-old man, who, after a mental health crisis, presented himself to Ysbyty Gwynedd, was then transferred overnight, on a six-and-a-half-hour journey, to a hospital in the south-east of England. His family was able to negotiate a handover to the home treatment team, so, after a week, he was returned home, but describes being accompanied back to his house, flanked by two guards, as embarrassing and traumatic. The whole experience he says left him feeling like a criminal and not a vulnerable patient. This is clearly unacceptable. So, what action will the Government take to address the shortage of mental health beds not just in north Wales, but throughout the country, and to include investment in beds themselves and staff, and also in home treatment teams?

Well, the Member gives an example there that deserves further investigation. It's very difficult to comment on it without knowing more about it, but, if he wishes to write to me with more details, I would of course be pleased to investigate that for him. He asked the question as well on mental health spending. Well, of course, mental health spending is ring-fenced in Wales, and we plan to increase that funding by a further £20 million to nearly £650 million in 2018-19.

First Minister, despite the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010, nearly a quarter of patients in Wales wait longer than 28 days for a local primary mental health support services assessment, and 20 per cent of those patients will wait more than 28 days for treatment following the assessment. In recent months, we have had warnings about insufficient consultant psychiatrists and problems recruiting sufficient psychologists. First Minister, what is your Government doing to improve recruitment of trained mental health clinical staff and put an end to lengthy delays in mental health treatment in Wales?

Well, we have, of course, in place a recruitment campaign, which has proven very successful. We put extra resources into CAMHS when that was needed, when demand did become very high and that demand needed to be satisfied. I can say that more than 154,000 people have been seen by local primary mental health support services since their introduction, as part of the implementation of the Measure in 2012, and over 82,000 people have received therapeutic interventions by their LPMHSS. So, we know that many people have benefited from that Measure, and we can see, of course, that the budget is ring-fenced for mental health, to ensure that sufficient resource is available.