Mental Health Minister Baroness Merron appeared before the Health and Social Care Committee to talk through Labour’s grand plan for community mental health services. She wasn’t exactly on top of her brief…
Asked when the Government would publish the long-awaited ‘Modern Service Framework’ – the strategy supposedly setting out how mental health services will be improved – Merron shuffled her papers and admitted:
“Um next year. Uh soon. No, it’s not soon. Uh I’m being realistic because it’s in the it’s in the process of being developed, but um if I was in the Chamber, I’d say I’d be very pleased to update the noble Lord uh on the timetable when it is clearer.”
A quick look at Labour’s 10-Year Health Plan shows the paper is pencilled to be published by March 2026. Though, given Labour’s ability to miss their own deadlines, Guido wouldn’t recommend putting money on it. Painful…