Mental Health Function Champions
Work and Pensions
Tom Greatrex (Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 20 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1081W, on Atos Healthcare, how many Mental Health Function Champions are employed by Atos Healthcare for the purposes of the work capability assessment in (a) total and (b) each region.
Mark Hoban (Fareham, Conservative)
Sixty mental health function champions are employed by Atos Healthcare for the DWP contract and five for Northern Ireland.
For the DWP contract these are distributed as follows:
North: 21
Scotland: 8
South and Wales: 16
Midlands and London: 15.
The mental health function champions provide a telephone service to all health care professionals regardless of location. This approach was endorsed by Professor Harrington as the best way to maintain geographical support.