Millions in England face longer waits for mental health care as NHS providers plan cuts

Millions of adults and children in England face being forced to wait longer for mental health care, with more than two-thirds of NHS providers planning to cut services and half expected to axe jobs, the Guardian can reveal.With mental health services already under extraordinary pressure amid soaring demand for support, experts warned the proposed cuts – drawn up by trusts to plug holes in their finances – would also have “significant” consequences for the wider NHS, the economy and public services.Key services such as child and adolescent mental health care, talking therapies, addiction support, help for adults undergoing a mental health crisis and community programmes, including those for ethnic minorities and low-income groups, are among those that may be affected.Seven in 10 (68%) NHS trusts providing mental health services are likely to reduce or shut some of their services in 2026-27, according to the results of a national survey conducted by the NHS Alliance and seen by the Guardian.Of respondents, 59% said they expect to freeze vacancies, with more than half (57%) likely to cut the number of clinical staff they employ this year.Earlier this week, the prime minister, Andy Burnham, announced plans to create a network of nearly 200 community mental health centres and mental health A&Es by 2029. Writing on LinkedIn, he said: “These services will make it much easier for people to get the right support, at the right time, in the right place.”The UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, announced plans to launch additional community health centres this week. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters Pool/APMental health charities welcomed the ambition but said if funding for staff and services was being cut, meaningful improvements to care would be “impossible”.One of the NHS mental health trusts affected, East London foundation trust, plans to cut a wide range of services and axe hundreds of jobs to close a £25m hole in its finances, the Guardian reported on Monday.NHS mental health professionals at other trusts said similar plans were being drawn up where they work. They fear the cuts will strip back services so much that they will not be able to properly perform their duties or guarantee safe care in their areas.An NHS consultant psychiatrist, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “This is not an isolated example in east London. Many mental health trusts are in a similar, if not worse, situation and are responding in similar ways through cutting jobs and compromising service delivery.”A mental health service manager at a third NHS mental health trust said: “Many mental health trusts are in a similar position. They have faced declining funding for the last couple of years alongside cost reduction targets.”Alex Stewart, assistant director of the NHS Alliance’s mental health network, said: “Mental health services are coming under extraordinary pressure as a result of rapidly rising demand for care and very tough financial conditions.“Despite this, we see many examples of innovation and great care which give real grounds for hope. But it’s increasingly evident that the trade-offs and difficult decisions over jobs and services which we warned about are making their mark.“Mental health leaders face particular pressures when finances are tight because a higher proportion of their expenditure goes on staff.”skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionThe NHS Alliance survey, conducted in March before the new financial year, revealed widespread concerns about the need to make record efficiency savings in 2026-27.There were also concerns among the 37 NHS mental health providers responding to the poll that the focus on balancing the books would impede progress on providing more care outside hospital settings and increasing preventive mental health care.One NHS mental health trust leader told the survey there was “no investment for mental health community services” and their teams were “under resourced” to manage the rise in demand.Stewart said: “We welcome recent announcements on capital funding for community mental health centres and the confirmation of targets to improve access to mental health care. But in the face of rising demand, the share of national NHS spend on mental health is expected to reduce for the third year in a row.“It is essential that mental health investment is not allowed to fall behind, as the consequences of underfunding mental health for the wider NHS, the economy and public services will be significant.”Tom Pollard, the head of policy, public affairs and campaigns at Mind, said the results of the survey showed “the huge uphill battle we face” to save mental health services in England and ensure everyone could access high-quality care.He said: “The government set out a welcome ambition to move towards a more open access model of support through neighbourhood mental health centres. But if funding for staff and services is being cut, meaningful improvements to the mental health system will be impossible.”Sharon Graham, the general secretary of the trade union Unite, said: “We cannot balance the books on the backs of the most vulnerable in society and by underfunding mental health provision you simply kick the can down the road and it costs more in the long term.“Our members at health trusts across the country are outraged at attempts to cut jobs and services and will be fighting back with the full support of their union.”A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “As well as investing a record £16.1bn into mental health services this year, we have recruited more than 8,500 additional mental health workers since this government came into office, and only this week, we announced the rollout of 159 new NHS mental health facilities across England, backed by £343m in funding.“Later this year, our mental health strategy will outline how we plan to future-proof the mental health system, including responding earlier and reducing waiting times for support.”