People struggling with their mental health in the East of England are set to get help earlier and closer to home, with 17 NHS mental health centres due to open across the East of England.

Backed by a share of £343 million of national funding, the initial rollout in the East of England includes 12 community mental health centres offering walk-in support without a referral, and 5 dedicated mental health emergency departments giving people in crisis specialist care in a place designed for them.

This approach follows the success of early adopter sites such as a mental health urgent care centre based at Lister Hospital in Stevenage.

Across England, up to 159 NHS mental health centres are set to open in total, including 100 community mental health centres and 59 mental health emergency departments.

Demand for mental health services across the whole country has risen sharply in recent years, particularly among children and young people, with around one in five people nationally experiencing a common mental health condition each year.

These new centres will make it far easier for people to get the right help the first time they ask for it, 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.

Professor Edward Morris, Regional Medical Director for NHS England – East of England, said: “All too often people in the East of England needing urgent support with their mental health will end up turning to a busy A&E department for help, which isn’t always the best place for those people to be.

“That’s why these new centres – bringing support closer to home, making it easier to get help before problems get worse, and offering crisis support in the right place – will be a lifeline for so many.”

The approach has already seen benefits in the East of England, with a mental health urgent care centre operated by Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust based at Lister Hospital in Stevenage.

The centre opened in January 2025 and has consistently received positive feedback from patients, whilst at the same time reducing pressure on Hertfordshire’s acute hospitals’ emergency departments.

Karen Taylor, Chief Executive at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our Hertfordshire Mental Health Urgent Care Centre has transformed how people access support during a mental health crisis. More than 3,600 people used the service in the first 14 months, with 99% assessed within an hour.

“By providing rapid access to specialist mental health care in a calm environment, the centre is supporting people sooner while also reducing pressure on emergency departments. We have seen a 30% reduction in mental health attendances at the local emergency departments, giving Hertfordshire some of the lowest mental health attendances at A&E in the country.”

The first of the new sites are set to open across the country from autumn this year, with further facilities following from March 2027.

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Too many people are only getting mental health support when they reach crisis point, after struggling for far too long to get the help they need.

“These new community mental health centres will help people get support earlier and closer to home, making it easier to get the right care before problems escalate. And when someone does need urgent help, new mental health emergency departments will be able to make sure they are seen quickly by specialist teams in the right setting.

“This is how we can turn the tide on mental ill health – preventing more people from reaching crisis, cutting waits for care, and building an NHS which is there for everyone when they need it.”

Some of the community hubs will be newly built facilities, while others will be in existing community or high street locations to move care closer to where people live, improving access.

They will all be in the heart of the neighbourhoods they serve and designed as welcoming settings with a non-clinical appearance.

Alongside this, the new mental health emergency departments will provide fast, same-day specialist support for people experiencing a crisis who are medically fit and do not need treatment in A&E.

Located with emergency departments and working closely with ambulance and police services, they will provide a calm, therapeutic environment where people can be assessed quickly and connected to the right ongoing care, whether that’s inpatient treatment, support at home or community services. The rollout will more than double the number of dedicated emergency departments in England, taking the total to 82.

This is the first phase of a wider rollout set out in the 10 Year Health Plan, backed by £343 million in mental health facilities.

ENDS

Notes to editors

• More information on the areas allocated funding in the East of England during the first phase of this programme is below. Please note: Final locations are subject to designs, procurement, and business case approvals – and additional schemes are set to be developed in later phases of the programme.

Mental Health Emergency Departments (EDs)

• Cambridge
• Calnwood Court, Luton
• Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital
• North Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
• Ipswich

Community Based Mental Health Centres (CBMHCs)

• Cambridgeshire
• Clacton-on-Sea
• East and North Hertfordshire
• East Norfolk
• Luton
• Milton Keynes
• North Norfolk
• Peterborough
• South and West Hertfordshire
• Thurrock
• West Norfolk
• West Suffolk

• This is the first phase of a wider rollout set out in the 10 Year Health Plan, backed by £343 million in mental health facilities.
• Further schemes are set to be developed in later phases of the programme.
• There are currently six community-based mental health centres (CMHCs) and 23 mental health emergency departments (MHEDs) in England.
• The government has now announced 100 CMHCs and 59 MHEDs as part of this multi-wave plan.
• The first facilities are expected to open from autumn 2026, with further sites opening from March 2027.
• 57 will be newbuilds, whilst 102 will be conversions of existing sites.
• £156 million has been allocated to trusts for the initial 59 new MHEDs, with £187 million allocated for the initial 100 new CMHCs.