3. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Well-being: Progress on ‘Together for Mental Health’ Delivery Plan

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:53 pm on 12 October 2021.

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Photo of James Evans James Evans Conservative 2:53, 12 October 2021

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, thank you very much for your statement. I want to mention World Mental Health Day and the significance that that day has to raise the profile of those people who are suffering with their mental health. And I want to put on the record my best wishes to my friend and colleague Andrew R.T. Davies, who I hope makes a speedy recovery, and also to my brave colleague Sam Kurtz, who last week opened up about his own struggles with his mental health during lockdown. I hope that, in raising personal struggles, it will help those people who are suffering in silence to seek the help and support that they need. 

Minister, the mental health delivery plan has been refreshed, and it's right that the Government focuses on cross-departmental working, which is right to address the mental health problems. It will take all Government departments to step up to the plate to deal with this. You mentioned you've commissioned an evaluation of the 10-year strategy. Can you outline what methodology and scrutiny will be used to ensure that this Senedd can scrutinise that evaluation when it comes forward? You also mentioned that the delivery plan needs to be accelerated, and I totally agree with you on that. We have no time to lose, and the NHS workforce in Wales is a key part of ensuring that that delivery plan is delivered, and delivered at pace. So, Minister, recruitment shortages in the mental health workforce are a challenge. On workforce plans, last week, you said that HEIW was making good progress on longer term workforce plans. So, when do you expect these plans to be published, and, when more staff are recruited, where will you be placing these professionals?

You also mentioned the delivery and oversight board, which you chair, and I think this is a step in the right direction to, as you said, ensure that services can change and meet the mental health needs that come forward. One thing that I think was omitted from the statement was a position on child and adolescent mental health services support for young people. As I've raised previously, detentions of young people have gone up by 666 per cent in under-16s being detained since March, and two thirds of those were defined as female. That's a shocking statistic, and I think this should be immediately looked at to try and resolve this problem. In CAMHS, four out of seven people are reporting less than 50 per cent assessed at local primary mental health support service levels within 28 days. So, can you outline what efforts you and the oversight board are making to investigate these figures further and ensure that the young girls who have passed early intervention get that crisis care that they need?

With that in mind, 24/7 crisis care centres are vitally important so that people have the care and at the right time, as you said. Crisis care is vital to help save people's lives, and also they reduce the pressure on wider services, and I was wondering what more support can be given to deliver those 24/7 crisis care centres.

You mentioned the perinatal mother and baby care unit at Tonna, and I welcome this. However, you have said that there are gaps in north Wales. So, can you just outline what progress you have made to fill the gaps, and not just in north Wales, but across mid and west Wales as well, so we have that provision right across our country?

Minister, you also mentioned the work with the UK Government over the need to update the Mental Health Act, and I welcome this cross-governmental work and I think it's very positive. However, do you think that maybe we should look at having an updated Welsh mental health Act here in Wales, made in Wales, decided by Welsh policy makers, to make sure that we have fantastic mental health services here in Wales? You mentioned the liberty safeguard regulations, and I look forward to seeing that detail coming forward and having wider discussions with you about that.

And finally, Minister, will you outline your top priorities now for improving mental health services in Wales? I think it would be very useful if I could get to judge or appraise the top five or six measures and what you really want to get on top of in this first term of the Senedd. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you, Minister, for your statement.