This parliamentary briefing sets out the findings of Funding mental health at local level: unpicking the variation, a survey by NHS Providers and the Healthcare Financial Management Association of mental health trusts and clinical commissioning groups. 

Despite sustained focus on and national commitments to improve the disparity between mental and physical health and funding boosts, the necessary investment has not been reaching all frontline NHS providers.

To move beyond simply calling for parity of esteem, a more sophisticated understanding of the remaining barriers to achieving full equity for mental health is needed. We need to create an environment where commissioners and providers work more closely together to determine how and where additional investment is spent.