Waiting times for ambulances and emergency department care
There will be a debate on Waiting times for ambulances and emergency department care in Westminster Hall on 6 July 2022. This debate will be led by Wera Hobhouse MP.

A Westminster Hall debate on petitions relating to deaths in Mental Health care is scheduled for Monday 30 November 2020 from 4:30-6:00pm. The motion for debate is: "That this House has considered e-petition 255823, relating to deaths in Mental Health care". The subject for this debate was determined by the Petitions Committee and Petitions Committee member Mike Hill MP, who will open the debate.
Debate on e-petition 255823, relating to deaths in Mental Health care (174 KB , PDF)
This debate focuses on e-petition 255823, relating to deaths in mental health care. The petition was created by the mother of Matthew Leahy, a young man who died in 2012 whilst receiving care at the Linden Centre, a mental health unit at what was then the North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust).[1]
The petition also raises concerns about a number of similar deaths at multiple sites within the same Trust and calls for a statutory public inquiry into deaths that occurred in the Trust since the year 2000.
On 16 October 2020, an adjournment debate was held on the subject of Care Quality Commission: Deaths in Mental Health Facilities. The Member in charge, James Cartlidge MP, focused on the case of a constituent, Richard Wade, who took his own life whilst under the care of the Linden Centre in May 2015. During the debate, James Cartlidge raised concerns about the CQC’s handling and investigation of several deaths at the Linden Centre.
In response to the debate, the Government announced an independent review into the serious questions raised by a series of deaths of patients at the Linden Centre between 2008 and 2015. The terms of reference of the review have not yet been agreed – the Government have said they wish to engage with the families affected to agree the scope and terms of reference for the review.[2]
In June 2019, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), published its report, Missed opportunities: What lessons can be learned from failings at the North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. The report found that there were a series of significant failings in the care and treatment of two vulnerable young men, Mr R and Mr Matthew Leahy, who died shortly after being admitted to the Linden Centre. The PHSO also recommended and agreed with NHS Improvement that it would conduct a review of what happened at the Trust.
In November 2019, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee published its scrutiny of the PHSO ‘Missed opportunities’ report. The Committee’s inquiry examined the issues identified in the PHSO report and investigated what actions have since been undertaken in the areas of: safety of acute mental health care provision; leadership; and developing a culture of learning within the NHS. In particular, the Committee noted the significant body of evidence from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the PHSO report and others that there is a need for significant improvements in the safety and quality of mental health provision throughout the NHS:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has also investigated how the Trust managed environmental risks from fixed potential ligature points in its inpatient wards between October 2004 and March 2015. Following this investigation, an HSE prosecution is now being brought against the Trust under Section 3(1) Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.[4]
As noted above, in response to the adjournment debate on Care Quality Commission: Deaths in Mental Health Facilities (16 October 2020) , the Minister announced that the Government will commission an independent review into the questions raised by a series of deaths of patients at the Linden Centre between 2008 and 2015:
[1] North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust merged with South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust in April 2017, to form the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.
[2] HC Deb 16 October 2020 c734
[3] Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Follow up on PHSO report: Missed opportunities: What lessons can be learned from failings at the North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, 31 October 2019, HC31, page 3
[4] Health and Safety Executive, HSE to prosecute Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUFT), 29 September 2020
[5] HC Deb 16 October 2020 c733
Debate on e-petition 255823, relating to deaths in Mental Health care (174 KB , PDF)
There will be a debate on Waiting times for ambulances and emergency department care in Westminster Hall on 6 July 2022. This debate will be led by Wera Hobhouse MP.
There will be a debate on Waiting lists for gynaecological services in Westminster Hall on 6 July 2022. This debate will be led by Emma Hardy MP.
This paper discusses the Government's White Paper on Reforming the Mental Health Act 1983, a summary of consultation responses and the Draft Mental Health Bill 2022.