ADASS responds to expansion of community mental health support across England

In response to the Government’s announcement of a major expansion of community mental health support across England, Phil Holmes, ADASS President, said:

ADASS welcomes this news; we are pleased that Government recognises the vital need for investment in mental health support to improve the quality of life, prospects and length of life of people experiencing mental health issues. Over the last two decades we have seen growing disparity in investment in physical health and mental health, this commitment goes some way to improve this position.

We are particularly pleased to see Government’s commitment to investment in community mental health centres offering people easier and more timely access to support when they need it, removing some of the barriers to access that exist today. Prevention and early intervention, extending beyond traditional NHS care and treatment, is an area that ADASS has long lobbied for and it formed part of our evidence submission to the Health and Social Care Committee tasked by Government to consider progress against the Community Mental Health Framework in 2025.

With this investment comes a great opportunity to expand and transform the way we understand and support mental health giving more credence to trauma-informed, person-centred care and support rooted in a social model. The services we build must go further in recognising the cause of mental health and the impacts of loneliness, unemployment, poor housing and poverty – now is the time to widen the range of support to people, families and community recognising the wider determinants of health and the unequivocal role they play in mental health.