MPs urge ministers to continue funding neighbourhood mental health centres

The government has been urged to continue funding a pilot of six innovative 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres, with a view to opening one in every community.

MPs said the government risks missing ‘a golden opportunity’ to improve England’s mental health services if they choose not to extend the funding, in a new Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) report.

Inspired by a model used in Trieste, Italy, the 24/7 neighbourhood centres are part of the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC’s) 10 Year Plan to shift services into the community, helping to improve access and reduce stigma. They offer individualised care without the need for a referral.

The first of six centres to open was the Barnsley Street 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre in Tower Hamlets, London. Five more are in the process of opening in Sheffield, York, Cumbria, Lewisham, and Birmingham.

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DHSC has not guaranteed funding for the centre beyond April 2026, and an evaluation of their performance so far is due in the spring.

But the Committee’s report said the funding must be extended for another 12 months to properly assess the impact of the centres.

It wrote: ‘The Committee believes there should be a 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centre in every community. It sees these centres as an opportunity to transform the delivery of mental health services and as part of the NHS’s strategic shift towards delivery of care into the community, from hospital settings.’

The report also called for a ‘clear commitment towards parity of esteem between mental and physical health’ because, despite an increase in real-terms mental health spend this year, a smaller proportion of total NHS spending will go on mental health.

Mental health accounts for over 20% of demand for health services but in 2025/26 it is forecast to receive 8.7% of NHS expenditure, or £15.6 billion, the report said.

Other barriers to improving mental health support included workforce shortages, a lack of culturally appropriate support for ethnic minorities, and the need for more integrated services – including pharmacy teams.

‘Evidence highlighted the importance of embedding specialist mental health pharmacy teams within community mental health teams to support medication safety and review, particularly for high-risk medications,’ the report said.

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Pharmacists could also support shared decision-making and ensure that treatment goals are clearly communicated across the care team.

The report follows the resignation of Claire Murdoch, former national director of mental health, in September due to concerns that mental health was not being given sufficient investment.

HSCC chair Layla Moran MP said: ‘This report lays bare how an overburdened, poorly designed system is failing too many people and their families. But there is hope.

‘We urge the Government to not shy away from reimagining this broken and fragmented system, and to embrace this golden opportunity to radically improve mental health services.’

‘What we heard in our evidence from the 24/7 centres was nothing short of miraculous. DHSC needs to let this pilot run so that the six centres can provide the data the system needs to succeed. But they have been left in limbo with funding unconfirmed beyond April.’

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Mental health amongst pharmacy staff is also at breaking point, according to Community Pharmacy England’s (CPE’s) 2025 Pharmacy Pressures Survey: Staffing and Morale Report in November.

A quarter of staff said they were barely coping or not coping at all. Almost all (95%) said staff shortages were increasing pressures and 88% cited heavy workload as a top concern in their responses.