• People needing mental health support across the South West will benefit from new NHS facilities as part of a nationwide rollout of up to 155 sites.
• New community mental health centres on high streets and in neighbourhoods will help people in the region get support earlier, closer to home and before they reach crisis point.
• People in crisis across the region will no longer have to rely on busy A&Es, with the rollout of dedicated mental health emergency departments.

People experiencing mental health problems across the South West will get faster, more joined-up care closer to home, as the government today announces new mental health facilities for the region as part of a nationwide rollout of up to 155 sites across England.

Local NHS teams across the region are working towards delivering seven new Mental Health Neighbourhood Centres and nine new Mental Health Emergency Department schemes in the first two years, subject to necessary approvals, as part of the biggest redesign of NHS neighbourhood mental health services in a generation.

Across the region:

• Cornwall ICB is working towards 3 Mental Health Neighbourhood Centres and 1 Mental Health Emergency Department scheme in the first two years, subject to necessary approvals.
• Devon ICB is working towards 1 Mental Health Neighbourhood Centre and 3 Mental Health Emergency Department schemes in the first two years, subject to necessary approvals.
• Somerset ICB is working towards 1 Mental Health Emergency Department scheme in the first two years, subject to necessary approvals.
• Dorset ICB is working towards 2 Mental Health Neighbourhood Centres and 2 Mental Health Emergency Department scheme in the first two years, subject to necessary approvals.
• BNSSG ICB is working towards 1 Mental Health Emergency Department scheme in the first two years, subject to necessary approvals.
• BSW ICB is working towards 1 Mental Health Neighbourhood Centre and 1 Mental Health Emergency Department scheme in the first two years, subject to necessary approvals.
• Gloucestershire ICB is working up plans for facilities for future waves of the programme.

See notes (below) for more detail on sites.

The new community mental health centres will bring together mental health and specialist teams under one roof, making it easier for people across the South West to get the right support before problems escalate. Working alongside GPs, local authorities, the voluntary sector and families, with links to housing and employment support, they will deliver joined-up care tailored to local communities.

Some of the community hubs will be dedicated newly built facilities, while others will be in libraries, banks and other community or high street locations, moving care closer to where people live and improving access. They will all be at the heart of the neighbourhoods they serve and designed as welcoming settings with a non-clinical appearance.

Alongside this, new mental health emergency departments across the region 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 within emergency departments and other dedicated facilities, 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.

South West Regional Director of Nursing Jill Crook said: “Too many people in the South West 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 across the region 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, our new mental health emergency departments will make sure they are seen quickly by specialist teams in the right setting.

“This is how we will greatly improve access to mental health services in the South West – preventing more people from reaching crisis, cutting waits for care, and building an NHS that is fit for the future.”

This is the first phase of a wider rollout set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, backed by more than £327 million funding in mental health facilities over the next four years, nationally.

Demand for mental health services has risen sharply, particularly among children and young people, with around one in five people experiencing a common mental health condition each year. Too often, people only receive support once they reach crisis point, leaving families without the help they need and placing greater pressure on NHS services.

Today’s announcement supports the government’s mission to shift care from crisis to prevention, helping people across the South West get support earlier and closer to home. It aligns with the forthcoming Mental Health Strategy, which will look beyond the NHS to the role of schools, employers, local government and the voluntary sector in supporting good mental health.

By intervening earlier, the government aims to help more children in the South West stay in education, more adults remain in or return to work, and reduce the number of people reaching crisis point, helping build a healthier and more resilient region.

• There are currently six Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres (NMHCs) and 23 Mental Health Emergency Departments (MHEDs) nationally.
• The government is today announcing 100 NMHCs and 55 MHEDs nationally, including 6 NMHCs and 9 MHEDs across the South West in the first two years, subject to necessary approvals.
• This is a multi-wave plan. The first wave will include 27 MHEDs and 43 NMHCs nationally.
• The first facilities in this wave are expected to open from autumn 2026, with further sites opening from March 2027.
• £52 million has been allocated to trusts nationally for the initial 27 new MHEDs, with £85 million allocated for the initial 43 new NMHCs.
• A further £140 million and £187 million has been allocated for more MHEDs and NMHCs respectively over the next four years, nationally.
• Further specific details on future waves will be announced in due course.
• These are the proposed sites in the South West:
  • Mental Health Emergency Department (ED):
    • Callington Road Hospital, Bristol
    • Wiltshire
    • Musgrove Park Hospital
    • Dorset County Hospital
    • Royal Bournemouth Hospital
    • Wonford House Hospital, Exeter
    • Plymouth (1 adult, 1 children and young people focussed)
    • Central Cornwall
  • Community Based Mental Health Centre (CBMHC):
    • Bath/North East Somerset
    • Bournemouth
    • Weymouth Community Hospital
    • Devon
    • Camborne Redruth Community Hospital
    • Central Cornwall
    • St Austell Community Hospital