There are a number of priorities and challenges that both mental health trusts and the national bodies will need to consider in order to address the significant, specific challenges facing mental health provision and NHS mental health trusts, and ensure the sector is able to deliver on the ambitions for supporting people’s mental health and wellbeing over the next decade. These include:
- improved and transparent mechanisms that guarantee that mental health funding reaches the frontline services provided by trusts that need it most
- clear expectations around delivering on national investment and initiatives for CCGs, STPs and ICSs to deliver against, which are tightly monitored and enforced
- meeting providers capital investment needs so that urgent improvements can be made to estates
- further progress on data collection and data quality to give a better understanding of mental health activity, access and outcomes that can then enable better commissioning
- greater understanding within STPs, ICSs and systems of the mental health and wellbeing needs of local populations in order to ensure mental health service delivery is prioritised accordingly
- to overcome the demand challenge facing mental health services, and derive full value out of investment committed to the sector, national policy must focus on increased support for both mental health and public health
- less fragmented approaches to commissioning and a reduction in the frequency of retendering
- expansion and roll out of mental health new care models that are adequately funded and resourced.