There are a range of steps trusts have been taking, working with local partners, to improve support for mental health. The previous development of national fully costed programmes for mental health service delivery have been substantial, welcome steps forward to help begin tackling the lack of equity in terms of treatment of, and access to, mental health services.

Resources need to be shifted towards prevention and early intervention to deliver a more proactive, co-ordinated and multi-agency, community-based model of mental health care. Achieving this depends on sustainable levels of support and investment over the long term in key areas that enable expansion and transformation: capital funding, workforce, and data and digital.

This briefing sets out how trusts are improving support for mental health and what more is needed to improve support.