Assembly Debate Must Deliver Action on Mental Health Data Failures
New Script Campaigners Call for Transparency and Accountability as Assembly Debates Failures in Mental Health Data
Background: Repeated Warnings, Little Action
The failings in mental health data are not new. Since 2021, three major reviews — by the UK Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee — have highlighted serious weaknesses in mental health data collection, transparency and accountability.
These concerns have also been consistently documented by New Script for Mental Health, which has undertaken extensive investigation, analysis and Freedom of Information (FOI) work over a number of years to expose the scale of the problem.
Despite this sustained scrutiny, the Department of Health (DoH) has failed to address core deficiencies. It is increasingly difficult to avoid the conclusion that mental health data is being withheld or deprioritised. This reflects a wider culture of defensiveness and opacity in relation to mental health services.
Key Failures
1. No Outcomes Framework — Five Years On
Almost five years into the 10-year Mental Health Strategy, there is still no published Outcomes Framework.
The Department previously cited the rollout of the Encompass system as the reason for delay. However, Encompass was completed in May 2025. In FOI response 2025-0124, the Department stated (as obtained and published by New Script for Mental Health):
“75% of the outcomes measures have been embedded on to the Encompass system… all remaining measures will be on the Encompass system and ready for clinical use by July 2025.”
The Department of Health’s own deadline has now passed. The Outcomes Framework remains unpublished.
Without it, there is no way to measure whether the Mental Health Strategy is delivering meaningful improvements.
2. No Routine Publication of Waiting Times or Activity Data
Despite statutory waiting time targets for mental health assessments and psychological therapies, there is no routine public reporting of waiting times or activity data for:
Adult mental health services
Psychological services
Talking therapies
Counselling provision
Eating Disorder services
ECT services
Wider community mental health services
Following the closure of the Health and Social Care Board, the Department confirmed to New Script for Mental Health that there is “no statutory requirement for the publication of performance information.”
Currently, published data is largely limited to historic inpatient data and some CAMHS statistics.
By contrast, NHS England operates a comprehensive Mental Health Data Hub with monthly, quarterly and annual reporting.
Evidence That Transparency Is Possible
The Department’s award-winning COVID-19 dashboard demonstrated that rapid, accessible and high-quality data publication is achievable when prioritised.
In 2021, New Script for Mental Health created an interactive digital map of GP-based counselling provision using FOI data — without public funding. This demonstrates what is possible when transparency is prioritised.
The issue is not capability. It is will.
Why This Matters
MLAs cannot scrutinise performance without data.
Public funds cannot be assessed for value without outcomes.
Inequalities cannot be addressed if they are not measured.
Strategy cannot succeed without accountability.
Mental health must not remain the least transparent part of the health system.
Recommendations for Inclusion in the Debate
Compliance with UN Fundamental Principles of Official StatisticsEnsure DoH and Trust mental health data practices meet international standards of transparency, independence and accessibility.
Formal Response to Oversight BodiesThe Department must publicly set out how it will implement the recommendations of the OSR, Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee — including consideration of a standalone Mental Health Data Strategy.
Immediate Publication of the Mental Health Strategy Outcomes FrameworkNo further delay is acceptable.
Full Transparency on Data HoldingsThe Department should publish a comprehensive list of all mental health datasets it holds, with a presumption in favour of publication.
Monthly Publication of Waiting Times and Activity DataThe SPPG must begin routine monthly reporting for adult mental health services, psychological therapies and all other relevant datasets.
Conclusion
The depth and persistence of work by New Script for Mental Health has shone a necessary light on systemic data failures. This debate provides an opportunity for the Assembly to insist on transparency, accountability and evidence-based mental health policy. Without data, there is no accountability. Without accountability, there is no reform.
Analyses published by New Script for Mental Health
2025: Department of Health Says is Can’t - But the BSO Can!
2024: No evidence base, no activity, no outcomes data - Equals no accountability
2023: Department of Health is Failing the Address the Mental Health Data Scandal
2023: How many General Practitioners are trained in Suicide Awareness and Prevention?
2021: Help Ensure All GP Practices Offer Timely Access to Mental Health Counselling
For more information please contact Sara Boyce, Organiser, New Script for Mental Health. sara@pprproject.org or 07864074235