Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that people affected by severe mental illness are able to live as independently as possible.

Penny Mordaunt

In January 2016 the Government announced almost £1 billion of additional investment for mental health which included over £400 million to enable round-the-clock treatment in communities as a safe and effective alternative to hospital.

The Work and Health Unit is testing a range of interventions to support people with mental illness to obtain and stay in work.

NHS England is also working to ensure that by 2020/21 all areas are providing crisis resolution and home treatment teams that are resourced to operate in line with recognised best practice – delivering a round-the-clock, community-based crisis response and intensive home treatment as an alternative to acute inpatient admissions.