Ministers have launched a call for evidence as they begin work on a 10-year cross-government plan to reform mental health services.
On Friday (15 May), the government launched a consultation for their mental health strategy, which aims to shift the system towards earlier intervention.
Announced during Mental Health Awareness Week, ministers are asking frontline workers and people with lived experience to share their views.
Demand for services has skyrocketing across England in recent years, particularly among children and young people. The latest government data shows around one in five are now affected by a common mental health condition.
The government said it has recruited 8,500 additional mental health workers ahead of schedule and NHS spending on mental health is forecast to reach £16.1bn this year.
It has also pledged £473m over the next four years for new mental health emergency departments, community-based centres and school-based support systems.
Despite this, MPs warn services remain under pressure, with many people only receiving the help they need once they hit crisis point.
‘This government believes that mental health should be treated with the same seriousness as physical health, yet too many people across the country are struggling to get the support they need, when they need it,’ Baroness Merron, minister for mental health, said.
‘We want to hear from everyone with a stake in getting this right, including frontline clinicians, service providers, and people with lived experience of mental health conditions, so that we can build a system that truly works for everyone.’
Several organisations have welcomed today’s announcement, but claimed delivery will be key to getting the strategy right.
Mark Winstanley, chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness UK, said: ‘We welcome this announcement as a significant step forward, particularly for people severely affected by mental illness who too often face the greatest barriers to support.
‘What matters now is delivery. We need rapid improvements in access to timely, appropriate treatment, urgent action to ensure inpatient settings are safe and therapeutic, and support that is properly joined up across health, housing and community services.’
In similar vein, Joe Brunwin, head of policy and practice at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, claimed the plan will ‘only succeed if all government departments work together, linking health with education, housing and jobs.’
Brunwin added: ‘This strategy must go further in tackling the practical factors shaping mental health, not just symptoms and diagnoses. Occupational therapy expertise needs to be embedded in the final strategy so people receive the right support at the right time.’
The strategy will also take into account an independent review into mental health, ADHD and autism, chaired by Professor Peter Fonagy. It is looking at why demand is rising and how services can respond more effectively.
Andy Bell, chief executive at the Centre for Mental Health, said the new plan is so important because ‘governments have for too long neglected the nation’s mental health and missed opportunities to turn around rising rates of mental distress and ill health.’
He continued: ‘To be effective, the strategy must cover the whole of government: not just health and care services but schools, communities, the economy and the environment.
‘It must be evidence-based, with funding where needed for actions that have been shown to work. And it must be coproduced with people and communities who known first hand what needs to change to improve mental health for all.’
The call for evidence is due to run for eight weeks, closing on 10 July 2026.
Image: Shutterstock
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