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<p>Mental health and wellbeing, for both adults and children, is a priority for this
Government. Our overarching goal is to ensure that mental health has equal priority
with physical health, and that everyone who needs it has timely access to the best
available treatment. We have enshrined in law the equal status of mental and physical
health in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.</p><p> </p><p>The Mandate to NHS England
makes clear that 'everyone who needs it should have timely access to evidence based
services'. This will involve extending and ensuring more open access to the Improving
Access to Psychological Therapies programme, in particular for children and young
people, and for those out of work.</p><p> </p><p>We are also committed to introducing
access and/or waiting time standards for mental health. The revised Mandate asks NHS
England to develop and evaluate a range of costed options to implement access and
waiting standards for mental health services starting from April 2015, with a phased
introduction depending on affordability.</p><p> </p><p>We will hold the National Health
Service to account for the quality of services and outcomes for mental health patients
through the NHS Outcomes Framework. Improvements for people with mental health problems
will also be a crucial element of success across the framework as a whole.</p><p>
</p><p>Our action plan, <em>Closing the Gap</em>, which was launched in January 2014,
sets our priorities for action and progress in mental health services over the next
couple of years, including actions supporting commissioners in allocating resources.</p><p>
</p><p>We are setting up a new, national Mental Health Intelligence Network to provide
comprehensive, up to date information about mental health and wellbeing, mental health
problems and what the most pressing needs are in each area – which will support commissioning
of services.</p><p> </p>
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