Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on Local Primary Mental Health Support Services, advice where all of these are located in Wales, and explain how many individuals have had access to the services in each health board this year?
Local Primary Mental Health Support Services, introduced under the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010, have made more mental health services available more locally, making it easier for the people who need these services to get help more quickly. Part 1 of the Measure places statutory duties on health boards and local authorities in to provide these services in their areas. All services must be recorded and agreed in written joint schemes between the relevant health and local authority.
Local Primary Mental Health Support Services are a specialism in the community and they operate within, or alongside, existing GP practices, except where the provision of services to certain groups, such as prisoners, requires other arrangements. GPs will support individuals to access these services, which are designed to address mild to moderate mental health problems including psychosocial, behavioural and emotional difficulties, anxiety, depression and memory loss.
Between December 2015 and December 2016 the number of people who have had a referral for a Local Primary Mental Health Support Services assessment is as follows:
| Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board | 8930 |
| Aneurin Bevan University Health Board | 15883 |
| Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board | 10070 |
| Cardiff and Vale University Health Board | 10608 |
| Cwm Taf University Health Board | 8991 |
| Hywel Dda University Health Board | 6017 |
| Powys Teaching Health Board | 3097 |
| All Wales | 63596 |
Source: StatsWales