The NHS mental health strategy: A window for systemic reform
Transforming Care
21 May 2026
By Emily
With around 1 in 5 people affected by common mental health conditions, demand for mental health services continues to rise rapidly. In particular, children and young people are affected, frequently facing agonisingly long waiting times.
While mental health has rightly been highlighted as a core priority in the government’s manifesto and the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, there is still a lot that needs to be done. Despite record investment (with spending forecast to reach £16.1 billion this year) and significant workforce growth, our current system remains reactive, fragmented, and inconsistent. Too often, support varies significantly based on postcode, and individuals often only receive help when they hit a crisis point.
To break this cycle, the Department of Health and Social Care will be launching a once-in-a-generation cross-government mental health strategy. Alongside it, an 8-week call for evidence has been opened. This gives frontline clinicians, experts, and organisations until mid July, to input to shape the future of care.
The NHS mental health strategy: transformation and the 3 main shifts
At the heart of the new NHS mental health strategy will be a total system overhaul. It aligns with the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitment to give mental health the same attention and seriousness as physical health. As stated in the NHS 10 year plan, the three radical shifts will help achieve the goals:
- From hospital to community: Moving care closer to home so people can access support within their neighbourhoods.
- From crisis intervention to preventative care: Intervening earlier and faster, treating people before their conditions deteriorate.
- From analogue to digital: Leveraging modern technology to make services more responsive, seamless, and integrated.
Instead of waiting for individuals to reach a breaking point, dedicated Mental Health Emergency Departments (MHEDs) will be introduced, alongside community-based mental health centres, Young Futures Hubs, and an accelerated and continued rollout of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in schools and colleges.
A whole-system approach to wellness
One of the most crucial aspects of this strategy is that it will look far beyond clinical settings. It acknowledges that mental health is shaped where we live, learn and work.
By taking a cross-government, whole-system approach, the new strategy will aim to address the wider social and economic factors that contribute to poor mental health. It will put a vital question at the forefront of policy: “What support do people need to live better?” This means looking at the role of schools, workplaces, local government, and the voluntary sector. This will help to build a properly joined-up network across health, housing, and community services.
Addressing neurodiversity and soaring demand
For the first time, the strategy will explicitly address the intersection of mental health and neurodivergence. Autistic people and individuals with ADHD face a significantly higher risk of developing mental health conditions. However, they frequently fall through the cracks of a fragmented system.
The strategy will directly respond to recommendations from the independent review into mental health, ADHD, and autism. The goal is to determine how public services can meet this increasing demand more fairly and effectively. Furthermore, the government has announced that a dedicated cross-government autism strategy will also be published, potentially also incorporating ADHD.
Your digital partner for delivering the NHS mental health strategy
At Mayden, the vision for the cross-government strategy resonates deeply with our core mission – transforming health and care, together. Through our core product, iaptus, the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) trusted by the majority of NHS Talking Therapies services, we have spent years working alongside frontline clinicians to improve data-driven outcomes and streamline access to care. NHS App-integrated digital “front doors”, enabled through patient engagement platforms (PEPs) like Portasana triage patients earlier. Additionally, they can then route them to the right pathways, and capture structured data from the outset.
In order to successfully shift from crisis intervention to preventative care, the digital infrastructure supporting the NHS must change too. Our growing product portfolio is ready to help services deliver better outcomes for their patients, as well as significantly reducing the administrative burden on clinicians.
Let’s build the future of mental health care, together
The government’s call for evidence closes on July 10, 2026. It is a crucial window for our industry to advocate for a system that is not just better funded, but better connected.
At Mayden, we’re ready to deploy interoperable digital tools and data insights needed to make this whole-system approach a reality. We look forward to contributing to the consultation and partnering with services across the country to turn this strategy into meaningful, measurable change.
Let’s start the conversation
Get in contact to talk to one of our experts to support you in this next phase of the NHS mental health strategy.