8. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Community Mental Health Teams

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:03 pm on 3 April 2019.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 6:03, 3 April 2019

I think there are a number of additional questions there, Llywydd. I can say, though, that we do already make performance data available. That's published, and I'm more than happy to consider again if there are things we could do in the interim. But my aim is to have a regular publication of data about mental health services that is genuinely useful, and, to do that, it has to take in engagement with a range of different people. I would much rather have something that is useful than something that is convenient or quick.

Now, the joint thematic review focused on community mental health teams. It's important to understand the overall demand for mental health services that has regularly been referred to in today's debate. Management data shows that crisis resolution and home treatment teams have seen an increase in both referral and assessment in the last two years. In the last year alone, community mental health services received around 20,000 referrals for crisis assessments, and there are, on average, an additional thousand referrals each month to local primary mental health support services when compared to 2013. In terms of activity, over 200,000 people have been seen by local primary mental health services since their introduction, with 100,000 people receiving therapeutic interventions. That increasing demand in part reflects a better understanding of mental health in our society, in part additional factors that are driving people to seek greater help for a potentially greater prevalence of mental health challenges, and a willingness to seek help that is actually a positive. This is also a result of our approach to provide more support in the community. We've seen an increase in the need for community-based services and we've seen a reduction in the number of people who need to be admitted to hospital.

In recognition of the increasing demand, we continue to spend more on mental health than any other part of our national health service. We continue to ring-fence mental health funding. In reality, we know that health boards spend more than the mental health ring fence, and since 2016-17, the increase in the ring fence has been 12.5 per cent. In the next financial year, the ring fence will be set at £679 million—a real and meaningful and sustained increase in funding. And that includes an additional £14.3 million of targeted investment to improve key priority areas, including child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal, psychological therapies, crisis and out-of-hours. And on crisis and out-of-hours services, this is a top priority for NHS Wales in the year ahead. It builds upon our previous work in establishing CAMHS crisis teams and adult psychiatric liaison services working at weekends and out-of-hours.

Now, I do understand and want to recognise and reiterate the comments about a parity of esteem between physical and mental health, and to restate our Government's commitment to achieving that—an equitable level of care, whether that be physical or mental health.

So, I welcome the continued focus upon mental health. I look forward to Members engaging in the next stage of 'Together for Mental Health' and the consultation it will have. We are committed to delivering real and sustainable improvements in services, experience and outcome. And we'll do so as rapidly as possible, in maintaining the quality of care that each of us would expect.