Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Lord Brady of Altrincham (Conservative). It was answered on Tuesday, 26 June 2007 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Mental Health

Question: When I tabled a question asking the Secretary of State how long my constituents had to wait for these services, she did not know. However, the Bolton, Salford and Trafford mental health trust tells me that, whereas patients in Salford have to wait only eight weeks for a first appointment, my constituents in Timperley have to wait a staggering 22 months. Does she agree that that is entirely unacceptable, and will she advise her successor to deal with the problem as a matter of urgency?

Answer: The hon. Gentleman is quite right: waiting times for psychological therapies are too long in many places, including his constituency. However, I hope he welcomes the work being done by his local mental health trust to cut those waiting times, for example by reducing the levels of non-attendance. The trust is introducing new ways of working that are based on best practice elsewhere, and it expects to see improvements by September of this year. In addition, it would appear that the hon. Gentleman is asking for a new national target, even though the Opposition recently said that they intend to scrap all targets. I am grateful that he at least recognises—

Secondary information