Walk-in mental health centres to open in banks and libraries across England
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- The UK government has announced plans to create nearly 200 community mental health centres and mental health A&Es across England by 2029, with 100 new community hubs to be sited in high-street locations including banks and libraries.
- The rollout includes 59 additional dedicated mental health A&Es on top of the 23 already operational, with the first new sites opening in autumn 2025 and further facilities following from March 2027.
- The Department of Health is backing the plan with £343m, with the hubs bringing together existing nurses, therapists and support workers; many will be open seven days a week and some will offer short-stay beds.
- Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the centres would "turn the tide on mental ill health" by offering early intervention before crisis, while Andy Burnham — quoted as Prime Minister — said thousands currently end up at busy A&Es because they cannot find help elsewhere.
- Andy Bell of the Centre for Mental Health welcomed the announcement but warned the new mental health emergency departments had not been properly tested and called for dedicated hubs for children and young people.
- Stephen Jones of the Royal College of Nursing said specialist mental health nurses would be crucial for the new centres to cope with demand, with six areas having trialled the approach since 2024.
Why it matters: The £343m rollout responds to a documented pattern in which thousands of mental health patients reach crisis point and end up at general A&E because they cannot access earlier help, yet both the Centre for Mental Health and the Royal College of Nursing flagged that the new emergency departments remain untested and specialist nursing staff are needed before the model can scale.
