Liz Twist, MP for Blaydon and Consett, has backed Government plans for the biggest redesign of adult mental health services in a generation.
The Government has announced 159 new NHS mental health facilities. They include 100 new community mental health centres, offering walk-in support without a referral, and 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments giving specialist care to people in crisis.
Demand has risen sharply, particularly among children and young people, with around one in five people experiencing a common mental health condition each year. The North East regularly tops the national statistics for suicide rates and poor mental health outcomes.
Liz Twist, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self Harm Prevention, supports the measure. It is intended to make it easier for adults to get the right help the first time they ask, 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.
“Nobody should be left to struggle with their mental health alone. But every day, thousands of people are waiting months for help, then finding the only door open to them is a busy A&E.”
“I held a regional suicide prevention conference in 2022, and it was clear that more needs to be done. Even last month I held a debate in the House on the need to give mental health parity of esteem with that of physical health. These announcements are a step in the right direction in ensuring that there is real support available for people that need it.”
“This is a sign of a Government that is taking the mental health crisis seriously and I am pleased that people will be able to benefit in gaining access to support.”
Liz Twist MP
There are currently six community mental health centres and 23 mental health emergency departments nationally. Of the 159 new facilities, 57 will be new builds and 102 conversions of existing sites. £156 million has been allocated to trusts for the first 59 emergency departments, and £187 million for the first 100 community centres.
