NHS to open more ‘mental health A&Es’ to relieve pressure on hospitals

The NHS will open more mental health crisis centres across England in a bid to keep those patients out of “crowded A&Es”, the head of NHS England has said.

The new service, staffed by specialist doctors and nurses, will be open to patients who present symptoms of a mental health crisis, such as suicidal thoughts or psychosis, The Times reported.

Ten NHS trusts have already launched separate units for mental health emergencies, some on the sites of existing A&Es, which are open to walk-in patients are well as those referred to the service by GPs and police.

The scheme is expected to be expanded nationally to dozens of locations as part of a 10-year NHS plan to be published this summer by the Labour government, according to the newspaper.

Sir Jim Mackey, the chief executive of NHS England, told the paper: “Crowded A&Es are not designed to treat people in mental health crisis.

“We need to do better, which is why we are pioneering a new model of care where patients get the right support in the right setting.

“As well as relieving pressure on our busy A&Es, mental health crisis assessment centres can speed up access to appropriate care, offering people the help they need much sooner so they can stay out of hospital.”

Patients attending emergency services with mental health symptoms are twice as likely to wait 12 hours or more than other patients, a 2022 report from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine found.

The new mental health units will seek to reduce the waiting time for mental health patients and avoid the overcrowding of A&E departments amid a “corridor care” crisis and pressure on other emergency services, including police.

In November 2023, the Metropolitan Police, the country’s largest force, announced its officers would not attend mental health call-outs where a healthcare professional is more appropriate.

Claire Murdoch, the NHS national director for mental health, told the newspaper: “I would certainly hope to see these mental health A&Es across the country over the next decade.”

Dr Luke Evans MP, shadow health minister, said the Conservatives welcomed the move.

He added: “However, this follows the Labour Government’s decision to cut mental health spending as a proportion of the overall NHS budget and impose a Jobs’ Tax that has forced mental health charities and local authorities to redirect their resources away from those struggling most.

“This Government must now make sure that these units are funded properly so that those struggling the most with their mental health can receive the targeted and compassionate care they’re in need of.”