Issued by: Department of Health and Social Care and Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street

£343m plan will open 159 NHS mental health centres in England, giving people earlier local support and specialist crisis care outside A&E.

• Up to 159 new NHS mental health centres will open across England from this autumn, bringing crucial support directly into neighbourhoods.

• New centres in communities are designed to catch problems early, so fewer people reach crisis point in the first place.

• People in crisis will get dedicated mental health emergency care rather than a long wait in a busy A&E.

People struggling with their mental health will get help earlier and closer to home, with 159 new NHS mental health facilities opening across England under plans announced today.

Backed by £343 million, the rollout is the biggest redesign of mental health services in a generation. It includes 100 new community mental health centres, offering walk-in support without a referral and without a months-long wait, and 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments giving people in crisis specialist care in a place designed for them.

Demand for mental health services has risen sharply, particularly among children and young people, with around one in five people experiencing a common mental health condition each year. Too often, people only receive support once they reach crisis point, leaving families without the help they need and placing greater pressure on NHS services.

The new centres will make it far easier for people to get the right help the first time they ask for it, by bringing mental health and specialist teams together under one roof – working alongside GPs, councils, the voluntary sector and families, with direct links into housing and employment support.

The first sites open from autumn this year, with further facilities following from March 2027.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:

"Nobody should be left to struggle with their mental health alone. But every day, thousands of people are waiting months for help, then finding the only door open to them is a busy A&E.

"These new centres will be a lifeline for so many. They will bring NHS services closer to home, making it easier to get support before problems get worse, and ensuring those in crisis get the right care in the right place.

"On the steps of Downing Street, I said we would build a country that acts sooner when people need help. Today is just the start of making that a reality."

The announcement comes as the Health and Social Care Secretary visits a community mental health centre in Sheffield, one of six already operating in England.

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

"Too many people are only getting mental health support when they reach crisis point, after struggling for far too long to get the help they need.

"These new community mental health centres will help people get support earlier and closer to home, making it easier to get the right care before problems escalate. And when someone does need urgent help, new mental health emergency departments will be able to make sure they are seen quickly by specialist teams in the right setting.

"This is how we can turn the tide on mental ill health - preventing more people from reaching crisis, cutting waits for care, and building an NHS which is there for everyone when they need it."

Some of the community hubs will be newly built facilities, while others will be in libraries, banks and other community or high street locations to move care closer to where people live, improving access.

They will all be in the heart of the neighbourhoods they serve and designed as welcoming settings with a non-clinical appearance.

Alongside this, 59 new mental health emergency departments will provide fast, same-day specialist support for people experiencing a crisis who are medically fit and do not need treatment in A&E.

Located with emergency departments and working closely with ambulance and police services, they will provide a calm, therapeutic environment where people can be assessed quickly and connected to the right ongoing care, whether that’s inpatient treatment, support at home or community services. The rollout will more than double the number of dedicated emergency departments in England, taking the total to 82.

This is the first phase of a wider rollout set out in the 10 Year Health Plan, backed by £343 million in mental health facilities.

Dr Nick Broughton, National Priority Programme Director for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodevelopmental Conditions, said:

"Across the country, NHS teams are already working to provide mental health support closer to where people live, alongside specialist care for those who need more urgent help.

"The rollout of more community mental health centres and dedicated mental health emergency departments will build on this work, strengthening both early support in the community and care for people in crisis, while helping services work together more effectively around people’s needs."

Brian Dow, Deputy Chief Executive at Rethink Mental Illness, said:

"Everyone should be able to access mental health support in their local community, when and where they need it.

"The expansion of neighbourhood mental health centres is a vital step towards making this a reality, building on the promising results of existing pilot sites.

"By bringing together treatment and wider support services under one roof, these centres can transform experiences of care, helping people to access support earlier and preventing them from reaching crisis point."

Today’s announcement supports the government’s mission to shift care from crisis to prevention, helping people get support earlier and closer to home. It forms part of the forthcoming Mental Health Strategy, which will look beyond the NHS to the role of schools, employers, local government and the voluntary sector in supporting good mental health.

The Mental Health Strategy will be informed by the upcoming recommendations from Professor Peter Fonagy’s independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and Autism.

By intervening earlier, the government aims to help more children stay in education, more adults remain in or return to work, and reduce the number of people reaching crisis point, helping build a healthier and more resilient Britain.

Mark Rowland, Chief Executive at the Mental Health Foundation, said:

"Many of the drivers of poor mental health are issues like problem debt, unemployment, and living in insecure, poor-quality housing. Addressing these concerns helps prevent poor mental health and makes recovery more successful.

"By bringing together services in community hubs, the NHS and other services can take an earlier and holistic approach to mental health. Easy access to joined-up, same-day support will make it simpler for people to navigate between different services. It will allow people to get help sooner, stopping poor mental health and other challenges they face from getting worse."

Tom Pollard Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns at Mind, said:

"This is a promising step towards more people getting the mental health support they need, when they need it. Too often, we hear from people struggling to access overstretched services whose mental health worsens because of this.

"These plans signal a much-needed shift towards a neighbourhood approach, with preventative, open-access mental health support rooted in communities and integrated with other local services. If fully realised, this could transform the quality and accessibility of mental health support. We hope to the Government build on these principles in the upcoming Mental Health Strategy."

Lynn Perry, Chief Executive at Barnardo’s, said:

"The mental health of far too many children and young people is at crisis point. We urgently need to shift focus from response to prevention – helping children and young people get the support they need before reaching crisis point.

"That’s why we welcome the rollout of new mental health centres that are embedded into the neighbourhoods that need them, and hope that the needs of children and young people are placed right at the heart.

"This is an important step towards giving every child and young person the opportunity to grow up healthier, happier and able to thrive, with support that improves outcomes for life."

Rosie Phillips, Deputy CEO at Bipolar UK, said:

"The lack of a clear pathway to support for people with bipolar has cost jobs, relationships and, in some cases, lives. Expanding community mental health services is a welcome step towards helping people before they reach crisis point. But for those who do, it’s reassuring to see more therapeutic alternatives to A&E being prioritised.

"For bipolar, preventative care means faster diagnosis, regular medication reviews, and better access to talking therapies and peer support. If these new services can deliver that, they could be a game changer for people with bipolar and those who love them."

Professor Subodh Dave, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:

"We welcome this recommitment to investing in mental health services, which has the potential to help more people access support earlier and closer to home. To maximise its impact, it will be important to build on past learnings and ensure these new services deliver genuinely joined-up care for patients, without compromising quality.

"New neighbourhood services and same day emergency care pathways should simplify access to support by reducing repeated assessments and fragmented care. Mental health is a key component of neighbourhood healthcare, and this model must be developed to meet the needs of people with severe mental illness, as this will help to ensure they receive the right care at the right time."

Notes to Editor:

• There are currently six community-based mental health centres (CMHCs) and 23 mental health emergency departments (MHEDs).

• The government is today announcing 100 CMHCs and 59 MHEDs as part of a multi wave plan.

• The first facilities are expected to open from autumn 2026, with further sites opening from March 2027.

• 57 will be newbuilds, whilst 102 will be conversions of existing sites.

• £156 million has been allocated to trusts for the initial 59 new MHEDs, with £187 million allocated for the initial 100 new CMHCs.

• Final locations are subject to designs, procurement, and business case approvals.

The full list of locations can be viewed here: [https://tinyurl.com/5yp6mrh3]

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