Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 86
We have seen that Mental Health Support Teams, where they have been rolled out, are...
Recommendation
We have seen that Mental Health Support Teams, where they have been rolled out, are well-placed to facilitate early intervention for children and young people as part Children and young people’s mental health 57 of a whole school approach. They appear to have delivered positive outcomes for children and young people where they are up and running. We welcome the fact that under the current trajectory the commitment of 20% to 25% coverage will be delivered a year ahead of schedule and we welcome the commitment that the Government and NHS England & Improvement have shown to deliver this roll out. But reaching only around half of children by the end of this Parliament shows the original ambition is too low and it should be increased, at a minimum, to reaching two thirds of schools by the end of the Parliament if we are to reduce referrals for severe conditions by as much as needed.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government states it is considering the recommendation, but the response primarily outlines significant investments and reforms in adult social care and local government funding. This does not address the specific call to increase Mental Health Support Team coverage to two-thirds of schools by the end of Parliament.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
86
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
The Government is considering this recommendation. NHSE/I has published1 details of the MHSTs being rolled out, up to and including the teams commissioned during 2021/22. Over 180 teams are currently operational, meaning they have completed their training and set-up process. These teams cover around 3,000 schools and colleges covering 15% of pupils in England. In 2020/21, 104 more teams were commissioned. NHSE/I estimates that, when these teams become operational in 2022, MHSTs will cover between 20 and 25% of pupils, delivering a year earlier than planned the commitments the Government made in its response to Transforming Children and young People’s Mental Health Provision: A Green Paper. This is partly due to the additional £79million funding announced by the Department in March 2021. A further 112 MHSTs commenced training during 2021/22. This means there are in total 399 confirmed MHSTs so far. NHSE/I estimates that when all 399 are operational in 2023 they will cover almost three million pupils, or around 35% of pupils. We anticipate further waves of MHSTs will be commissioned during 2022/23, which would ultimately see the coverage increase further. The number of teams is, however, subject to confirmation. The rollout of further MHSTs beyond 2022/23 is contingent on future funding settlements.
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