Yvette Cooper has asked NHS leaders to urgently examine how people can obtain advice, assessments and treatment more easily, after an independent mental health review was published on 9 October.
The Health Secretary said the Government would set out its response through a new Mental Health Strategy in the coming months. It will emphasise prevention and earlier community support.
The review, chaired by Professor Peter Fonagy, examined mental health conditions, ADHD and autism. It described diagnosis becoming a narrow route to help.
Ministers want support to reflect people’s needs without requiring them to wait for a clinical diagnosis. Timely diagnosis and treatment will still be offered where clinically appropriate, including when medication may be needed.
The Government also intends to strengthen oversight of ADHD and autism assessments, working towards making all diagnostic assessments an activity regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
The proposed regulatory changes are commitments to reform, rather than rules already in force.
