Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Deferred
Paragraph: 55
Establish improved diagnosis times as a key performance indicator for Women's Health Strategy.
Conclusion
Improvements in diagnosis times should be made a key performance indicator for the Women’s Health Strategy for England.
Government Response Summary
The government did not address the recommendation to make improvements in diagnosis times a key performance indicator for the Women’s Health Strategy. Instead, it focused on improving mental healthcare provision for women, committing to recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers and detailing existing mental health services.
Paragraph Reference:
55
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
It is unacceptable that too many women are not receiving the mental healthcare they need and deserve, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. Reproductive health conditions can have a significant impact on women’s mental health. As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and there when people need it, this government will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services. All NHS services and professionals caring for women should be familiar with taking a holistic approach to care, where physical and mental health needs are considered and managed together, providing emotional and psychological support to citizens as part of physical health services. In some instances, there may be a need for additional specialist mental health input where clinical thresholds are met. For women who do require additional mental health support alongside treatment for their condition, several pathways are available. For example, NHS talking therapies services provide evidence-based psychological therapies for individuals with: depression anxiety disorders long-term physical health conditions medically unexplained symptoms Since financial year 2018 to 2019, all NHS talking therapies services have been commissioned to establish dedicated pathways for people living with long-term physical health conditions. In some areas, these services provide psychological support specifically for women with reproductive health conditions. Specialist perinatal mental health services also support women with moderate to severe or complex mental health problems during and after pregnancy. They include: specialist community perinatal mental health teams inpatient mother and baby units maternal mental health services