Responding to NHS England and NHS Improvement's response to its Mental health clinically led review of standards: models of care and measurement consultation, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"We welcome the publication of NHS England and NHS Improvement's response to its consultation on proposed new standards for the mental health sector, and are pleased to see many of the key points from our consultation response reflected.

"This includes ensuring that adequate resource underpins the implementation of the standards in order to deliver genuine improvements for patients, and ensuring new measures are clearly communicated. Ensuring the right funding, including money for buildings and equipment, and strengthening the workforce will be vital for trusts to meet the new standards.

"We are also pleased to see recognition of the amount of time and resource that will be needed to implement these changes, and there will be an opportunity to address concerns that were raised during the consultation. It will be important for national bodies to work closely with trusts on plans for implementation, subject to government agreement.

"While we strongly support the proposals to develop new standards covering a broader range of mental health services, these changes are coming at a time when the sector is operationally very busy, with demand increasing and often more complex. It is good to see recognition that introducing these new standards to improve access to care while retaining and improving on the quality of care offered will be a challenge, given this current context and the anticipated longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health services.

"We look forward to the government agreeing to implement the proposals, and working with stakeholders and trusts to support the successful implementation of them."