Up to 159 new NHS mental health facilities will open across England from this autumn, backed by £343m in what officials call the biggest overhaul of mental health services in a generation.

The rollout includes 100 community mental health centres offering walk-in support without referral or long waits, alongside 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments for people in crisis.

These will more than double England's current emergency provision to 82 sites.

Some centres will be newly built, while others will occupy libraries, banks and high street locations, designed with a welcoming, non-clinical feel.

The move responds to rising demand, with around one in five people experiencing a common mental health condition annually.

First sites open this autumn, with further facilities following from March 2027, forming part of the wider 10 Year Health Plan.

What they said

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the centres would be ‘a lifeline,’ bringing services closer to home before problems escalate.

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said the plan would ‘turn the tide on mental ill health’ by cutting waits and preventing crises.

Rethink Mental Illness's Brian Dow called it ‘a vital step’ toward earlier access to joined-up care.

‘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,’ he said.

Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor MBE, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said: ‘It is positive to see that the new community mental health centres will be in the places where people live their lives and can easily access, be that in libraries, high streets and community spaces.’

‘It is important that the new community mental health centres are developed with and work closely with councils – the LGA are ready to work with government to help support implementation,’ she added.