Committee to explore how local government and the third sector address the wider social needs of people with severe mental illness

The Health and Social Care Committee will hold the third session of its community mental health services inquiry, at 9.30am on Wednesday 23 April.  

The session will start with MPs hearing from lived experience witnesses about their experience of accessing community mental health services, before taking evidence from local authority officials in the second witness panel, and questioning representatives from voluntary sector organisations in the third panel. 

The session will be an opportunity for the Committee to explore the work that the third sector and local government does to address the wider social needs, including housing and employment, of people with SMIs (severe mental illness). 

MPs will also probe the integration between the work of the third sector organisations and service providers, asking what interventions the Government should prioritise to improve integration and collaboration.  

Witnesses on 23 April 

At 9.30am: 

• Christina, lived experience witness 

• Christian, (Christina's husband), lived experience witness 

At 10am: 

• Cllr Lorraine Francis, Chair of the Adult Social Care Committee, Bristol City Counci 

• Peter Devlin, Director of Adult Social Care and Mental Health, Essex County Council and Co-Chair, Association Directors Adult Social Services Mental Health Network 

At approximately 10.40am:

• Stephen Parker, National Head of Service for Mental Health, Turning Point 

• Penny East, External Relations Director, Think Ahead  

• Duncan Tree, Director of Strategy and Relationships, Association of Mental Health Providers