More than £400m is to be spent on round-the-clock community based care as part of almost £1bn of investment in mental health services.
It will be used to pay for crisis resolution teams to provide treatment at home or in a community setting rather than hospital.
Other measures due to be announced by prime minister David Cameron today include £290m over the next five years to ensure at least 30,000 new mums a year have access to specialist mental healthcare.
And some £247m will be used to improve mental health liaison services based in emergency departments.
The package of improvements was recommended by NHS England’s independent mental health taskforce.
Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind and Independent chair of the taskforce, said: ‘This is a significant moment for mental health and we are pleased to see the prime minister giving it the attention it deserves. Mental health is hugely important in any discussion about improving life chances and mental health problems can affect anyone, from mums-to-be preparing for their first child to older people at risk of isolation.
‘The prime minister rightly recognises some key priorities that have been identified by the mental health taskforce, which will soon be publishing its full report. Children and young people, pregnant women and new mums, and those in crisis urgently need better services and support. But it doesn’t stop there. The taskforce will be setting out the road map for the next five years, a transformational plan that will require a commitment at every level, from government right through to every local community.’
