Health services must by patient-led

18.6.02

Note: this was written before the Health question was asked. The full text of the reply is given at the end.

MP demands new legal powers for users and carers in local mental health services

Edward Davey MP, the Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton, will use Question Number One at Health Questions, to press the Government to introduce new legal powers for users and carers in the planning of community mental health services.

With the Mental Health Bill expected to be published before the summer recess, Edward Davey believes the opportunity for action will be available to Ministers soon.

Liberal Democrats believe there is a danger that the Government's mental health policy has failed to involve users and carers, and that this will lead to less effective spending of the available funds. For less severe mental illnesses, community support workers and self-help work can be extremely effective and empowering for users, but are often the areas most overlooked or underfunded.

Edward Davey will ask:

"In implementing Wanless proposals for a world class mental health service, will the Government ensure that service users and their carers are given a much greater role in setting local strategies and priorities?

"Has the Secretary of State shared my experience that in many areas of mental health, especially the minor and moderate illnesses, users and carers can help build cost-effective communities of self-help, if they are given resources and support at community level?

"Therefore, in the forthcoming Mental Health Bill, will he include new statutory duties upon mental health NHS trusts, to involve users and their carers extensively in the planning of their local services?

Question and answer

The Secretary of State was asked

Mental Health

1. Mr. Edward Davey (Kingston and Surbiton): What plans he has to implement the proposals in the Wanless report to create a world-class mental health service; and if he will make a statement.

The Secretary of State for Health (Mr. Alan Milburn): The NHS plan and the national service framework for mental health will, when implemented, go a long way to creating a world-class mental health service, as proposed in the Wanless report. Targets set out in the NHS plan are on schedule to be reached by 2004. Details of our additional investment will be given in due course.

Mr. Davey: I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. In implementing the Wanless proposals for a world-class mental health service, will the right hon. Gentleman ensure that users and carers have a much greater role in setting local priorities and strategies? Has he shared my experience that in many aspects of mental health, including minor and moderate illnesses, users and carers can help to build cost-effective community self-help solutions, if they have resources and support? Will he ensure that the forthcoming mental health Bill places a new statutory duty on NHS trusts dealing with mental health services to involve users and carers far more extensively in the planning of local services?

Mr. Milburn: The general proposition that the hon. Gentleman advances is perfectly reasonable. If we want a service-including a mental health service-that is properly built around the needs of the people who use it, they should have a greater say in how the service is provided. That goes for their carers, too. People caring for those with a mental health problem do a sterling job: without them, the NHS could not do its work.

The hon. Gentleman will have to wait to see the provisions of the forthcoming mental health Bill, but I accept the proposition, which applies equally to mental health services and to the national health service in general.