Living through the pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of people across our country, including those with bipolar disorder, and I know that the Government is taking steps to improve access to mental health support and services.

I note the points raised by the Bipolar Commission on diagnosis, care pathways and the Government’s suicide prevention strategy.  I would be willing to write to the Department for Health and Social Care to raise your concerns.

As part of the five-year funding settlement agreed in 2019, mental health services will receive an additional £2.3 billion a year in real terms by 2023/24. This funding will enable further service expansion and faster access to community and crisis mental health services for adults, young people and children. This will allow an additional two million people, including 345,000 children and young people, to get the mental health support they need, such as a diagnosis for bipolar disorder. The Government aims to increase the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 healthcare professionals by 2023/24 to support this expansion and transformation of services.

In March 2021, the Government announced that it was expanding its mental health services as part of the Mental Health Recovery Action Plan, supported by £500 million of investment. The Plan aims to respond to the impact of the pandemic on mental health of the public, specifically targeting those who have been most affected, such as young people, frontline staff and those with severe illness. Of this investment, £20 million is being used to intervene early in preventing mental ill-health and reduce suicide risks.

To support the NHS mental health services in the longer term, £111 million is being invested to train the workforce of the future. This will ensure staff are in place to support two million more people to access mental health care and treatment by 2023/24.

In the Government's Our Plan for Patients published in September last year, the then Health Secretary committed to expanding mental health support for children at school, given that half of mental health conditions take root by the age of 14. This included a commitment to boost the number of mental health practitioners in primary care and to strengthen mental health support in schools. It also included a commitment to improve access to NHS talking therapies and to enhance community support for adults living with severe mental illnesses.

Finally, the Government is also investing £150 million in new mental health care facilities, providing compassionate care for those who need it whilst easing pressure on emergency departments, including 100 new mental health ambulances to take staff directly to patients, providing compassionate care in a safe environment.