Prime Highlights
- UK government commits £343 million to expand mental health services.
- Programme will create up to 159 new facilities across England.
Key Facts
- 100 centres will offer walk-in community mental health support.
- 59 new emergency departments will provide same-day assessments.
Background
The British Government has set up a programme with a budget of £343 million to build as many as 159 new centres for mental health in England.
The programme includes 100 community mental health centres backed by £187 million. These centres will offer walk-in support without a GP referral and could operate from high-street locations such as libraries and former banks.
A further £156 million will fund 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments. The expansion will increase the national number of such facilities from 23 to 82. They will provide same-day specialist assessments for people who are medically fit but require urgent mental health support.
The first facilities are expected to open from autumn, with the remaining centres scheduled to follow from March 2027. Confirmed locations include Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the Royal London Hospital, Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. Other locations include Leeds, Barnsley, Sheffield, Wakefield and Hull.
The programme comes as demand for NHS mental health services continues to rise. NHS data showed 2.36 million people in England had open mental health referrals at the end of May, compared with 2.10 million a year earlier. The figure reached 2.37 million by July.
The Royal College of Nursing welcomed the focus on community-based care but warned that the new facilities will need enough specialist mental health nurses. The Centre for Mental Health also called for greater evidence on the emergency department model before its wider rollout.
The programme will now depend on local commissioning, estate conversion and recruitment to deliver the planned services.
