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Progress in improving mental health services in England

Despite funding and staffing levels for mental health services increasing, and more patients being treated, millions of people with mental health needs are still not accessing services, with some facing lengthy waits for treatment, according to a new National Audit Office report.

Published: 9 Feb 2023 Recommendations: 5 Type: Value for Money NAO confirmed: 4 Department: Department of Health and Social Care
Dept: Department of Health and Social Care Topics: Health and social careNHS nao.org.uk →

Recommendations

5 items
4 accepted 1 partially accepted 3 implemented 2 in progress

Recommendation 1

Addressee: Department of Health and Social Care; NHS England and NHS Improvement · Source location: Page 12, paragraph 22, point a

a) DHSC and NHSE should publish a detailed statement of what achieving full 'parity of esteem' between mental and physical health services encompasses, in terms of access and service standards, staffing model and funding allocations, and the road map for national bodies, ICBs and local providers to achieve it.

Response position: Accepted

Delivery: Implemented · Q4 2023/24

Recommendation 2

Addressee: Department of Health and Social Care; NHS England and NHS Improvement · Source location: Page 12, paragraph 22, point b

b) Either separately or as a distinct part of the overall NHS workforce plan due in 2023, DHSC and NHSE should publish a longer-term mental health workforce recruitment and retention strategy and a costed plan, that reflects the volume and skills required to meet future service ambitions. They will need to engage closely with HM Treasury in this process. The strategy should include how they will work with ICBs on local workforce development, recruitment and retention.

Response position: Accepted

Delivery: Implemented · Q2 2023/24 · Confirmed by NAO

Recommendation 3

Addressee: Department of Health and Social Care; NHS England and NHS Improvement · Source location: Page 12, paragraph 22, point c

c) NHSE, working with local ICBs and providers, should improve its data and analysis to better understand the relative cost and cost-effectiveness of different services, and provide a more robust basis to decide future priorities.

Response position: Accepted

Delivery: In progress · Q3 2024/25 · Confirmed by NAO

Recommendation 4

Addressee: Department of Health and Social Care; NHS England and NHS Improvement · Source location: Page 12, paragraph 22, point d

d) NHSE, working with ICBs, should develop and issue guidance in 2023 on how the system will gain more transparency over capacity, activity, performance and outcomes in community mental health services, including improvements required to implement the proposed new clinical standards, as well as mental-health- related capacity and activity in primary care.

Response position: Partially accepted

Delivery: Implemented · Q1 2025/26 · Confirmed by NAO

Recommendation 5

Addressee: Department of Health and Social Care; NHS England and NHS Improvement · Source location: Page 12, paragraph 22, point e

e) As mental health services will need to remain the focus of sustained improvement and in the light of national and local reorganisation of health bodies, DHSC and NHSE should set out the future approach to leading, monitoring and assuring oversight of mental health service expansion and improvement. This should include how they ensure that ICBs and NHS providers have sustainable plans for workforce and service models in the short to medium term.

Response position: Accepted

Delivery: In progress · Q4 2026/27 · Confirmed by NAO

Public Accounts Committee follow-up

1 report

The Public Accounts Committee examined this NAO report and published its own recommendations. The government responds to PAC recommendations via Treasury Minutes.