Contracts have been awarded for two local mental health services – a new young people's mental health service and all-age eating disorders service – in Kent & Medway.

The organisation providing these two new services will be North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT).

Commenting on the announcement, Greg said:

"Given the chequered history of our local Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), I am not going to endorse the new provider until I see for myself substantial and sustained improvements.

"Five years ago our local CAMHS service was in an appalling state and I made a commitment to get it improved. Following pressure, a new NHS Trust was appointed to run the service in 2012 which did result in, for example, better waiting times but it was still not good enough. In advance of this new contract, I asked constituents, local schools and GPs what needed to be changed and made sure that the people awarding the new contract were fully aware of this feedback and that I expected big improvements.

"I have asked to meet with the Chief Executive of the new provider of services soon as possible to ensure that they know I will be keeping a very close eye on them and that I will not hesitate to take action if they do not deliver the expected improvements."