The government has named the 159 new mental health facilities that will open across England, giving patients access to care earlier, and closer to home. Backed by an investment of £343 million, the rollout is being described as the biggest redesign of mental health services in a generation. The plans include 100 new community mental health centres, offering walk-in support without a referral and a 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 will open from autumn this year, with further facilities following from March 2027.
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.
The new mental health emergency departments will be located with emergency departments and by 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.
Locations
There are currently six community-based mental health centres (CMHCs) and 23 mental health emergency departments (MHEDs).
Under the new plans, £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. See the full list of sites here.
