NHS Confederation responds to the news that the first 24/7 NHS mental health centre has opened

Responding to the news that the first round the clock NHS mental health centre has opened, Rebecca Gray, NHS Confederation mental health director, said: 

“NHS leaders fully support the commitment to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community and will welcome the boosting of neighbourhood health services and the roll out of the first 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health centre which is a vital step towards a more preventative, community-based NHS.

“These centres should interconnect with the models of neighbourhood health being established across the system and the other mental health services announced in the government’s recent ten-year health plan, such as mental health emergency departments and assertive outreach teams.

“We know the needs of adults with severe mental illnesses are not always well met. Through partnerships between the centres, the NHS and the voluntary sector, stronger joined up care and support for people who have complex clinical and social needs in their own community on a neighbourhood footprint can be provided.  It will also be important that we learn from the roll out of the first wave of centres as pilots.

“For the government to deliver on this ambition, the NHS will require sustained investment in digital and estates, support for the workforce, and a commitment to decentralise national control by empowering local leaders to do what is best for their communities. Extra capital funding will also be vital to the successful roll-out these centres.”