Overview

This bill mandates the UK government to annually report to Parliament on mental health services for children and young people in England. The reports will detail spending, waiting times, and an assessment of service effectiveness against the NHS Long Term Plan.

Description

The Mental Health Provision (Children and Young People) Bill requires the Secretary of State to submit yearly reports to Parliament on the state of children and young people's mental health services in England.

Report Contents:

• Spending: The report must detail NHS England's spending on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), including per-head expenditure, the percentage of the overall NHS and mental health budgets allocated to CAMHS, broken down regionally. An assessment of whether spending aligns with the NHS Long Term Plan's objectives is also required.
• Waiting Times: The report must include data on waiting times for various levels of urgency: very urgent, urgent, and routine referrals. This includes the proportion of children and young people seen within specific timeframes (4 hours, 24 hours, 1 hour, and treatment start times within 4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months, or longer).
• Assessment of Services: The Secretary of State must provide an overall assessment of mental health services delivered through schools, Clinical Commissioning Groups, and local authorities.

The reports must follow NHS England's budgeting and planning cycles and be submitted by January 31st of the following financial year.

Government Spending

The bill itself doesn't directly allocate additional funding. However, it aims to increase transparency and accountability regarding existing spending on CAMHS. No specific figures are included in the bill.

Groups Affected

• Children and Young People: Directly affected by the quality and accessibility of mental health services. The bill aims to improve services by increasing transparency and accountability.
• Families and Carers: Indirectly affected by the quality of services available to children and young people. Improved transparency may lead to better advocacy.
• NHS England and Local Authorities: Responsible for implementing and reporting on mental health services. They will need to gather and submit the data required for the annual reports.
• Parliament: Will receive annual reports enabling them to scrutinize government performance in providing mental health services for children and young people.

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