Written question asked by Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 14 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 March 2006. It was answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 April 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Mental Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for advising or prescribing physical activity as partial treatment for mild to moderate depression; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: No assessment has been made of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on depression for advising or prescribing physical activity as partial treatment for mild to moderate depression. Local national health service bodies should review their policies against NICE guidelines and put in place the services recommended. NICE guidelines state that patients of all ages should be advised of the benefits of following a structured and supervised exercise programme of typically up to three sessions per week of moderate duration (45 minutes to one hour) for between 10 and 12 weeks.

Secondary information