Community Mental Health Centres: the new government announcement explained
05/08/2026
Today (5 August 2026) the government announced the rollout of 100 new mental health community centres. The new community mental health centres will be set up across the country, in both new buildings and existing spaces such as libraries and banks. The government has also pledged to open 59 new dedicated mental health emergency departments where people in crisis can access specialist care.
How will the community mental health centres work?
The new community mental health centres will offer walk-in support tailored to the local community. The model brings together clinical staff to provide treatment alongside other support to address issues that may be impacting your mental health (e.g. housing) under one roof.
For example, in East London, where the approach has been trialled, psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health nurses, occupational therapists and support workers share the centre with employment support providers, benefits and housing specialists, social workers, and more.
Marking a real shift in the move towards a preventative approach to mental health, the aim is that people will be able to access the support they need before reaching crisis point.
What difference will this make?
The centres are designed to ensure people are able to access the mental health support they need, faster.
In the East London pilot, we've already seen a reduction in waiting times to access support. The average wait to access support is just 1.6 days.
And the tailored approach is designed to help reach new communities - 7 in 10 people using the Tower Hamlets community mental health centre hadn’t previously accessed mental health services.
The centre in East London has brought about benefits to broader society too, including reducing the number of costly hospital stays.
Where will the new community mental health centres be?
There are already six pilot sites in East London (Tower Hamlets), South East London (Lewisham), West Cumbria (Copeland), Sheffield (Gleadless and Heeley) and York (Acomb).
The exact location of the new sites has not been announced yet, but like the pilot sites, they will be spread across the country.
And what about the new mental health emergency departments?
A&E departments are stressful for anyone, but if you are experiencing a mental health crisis, the noise and business of a general A&E department can be especially difficult.
People experiencing a mental health crisis will now be able to access specialist care in an environment dedicated to meeting their needs.
