What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that mental health services do not exclude anyone in Wales with Huntington’s disease or any other neurological condition?
Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is centred on early intervention, prevention and person-centred care, ensuring people are referred to the most appropriate form of support, at the right time and without delay.
This includes our intention to embed a stepped care model for all-age mental health and wellbeing. This model will look to support same day open access to mental health and wellbeing care at the point of need and stage of readiness, with minimal assessment.
The strategy also includes action on a National Psychological Interventions Programme, which has a focus on supporting people with long term physical health conditions. This programme will work to co-design and implement consistent evidence based national psychological interventions. This includes building a skilled and flexible workforce to deliver psychological interventions, and expansion of our digital psychological therapies offer. We have already established digital access to cognitive behaviour therapy, and this new work will develop that approach.
We will publish an update on the implementation of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy after May.
We are aware of the current gaps in neuropsychology provision, and the National Strategic Clinical Network for Neurological Conditions is undertaking a review of neurology rehabilitation provision across Wales, led by the National Allied Health Profession Clinical Lead for Neurology.
This review includes neuropsychology services and will identify current provision and gaps. It will also include identification of workforce constraint, and future educational and training needs, to support future neuropsychology workforce planning.