Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Deferred
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The gap between the 2004 and 2017 NHS Digital Mental Health Surveys was too long,...
Recommendation
The gap between the 2004 and 2017 NHS Digital Mental Health Surveys was too long, and this must not be repeated. We recommend that NHS Digital regularly collect and publish robust prevalence data for mental health conditions every three years, starting from the end of 2021 disaggregated by age, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and condition, alongside a plan to address any disparities uncovered. Such a study should also examine both unmet need and the risks of overmedicalisation of minor issues.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government states it is considering this recommendation. The rest of the response details the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams and general mental wellbeing initiatives, which do not directly address the recommendation for regular mental health prevalence data collection.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
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Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
24. We accept this recommendation in part. 25. The department agrees that the gap between the 2004 and 2017 NHS Digital Mental Health Surveys was too long. 26. The department has committed to conducting a comprehensive national survey every 7 years, and the next one will be in 2024. 27. In addition to this commitment, following the publication of the 2017 survey, NHS Digital has since conducted 2 waves of follow-up surveys, with one in in 2020 and one in 2021. A third follow-up wave is being conducted imminently, and the results will be published later this year. These follow-up waves have been commissioned in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will enable the department to better understand the impact the pandemic has had on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
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