Mental health A&E centres to open across England

Specialist mental health crisis centres will be opened across England over the next decade in an attempt to reduce crowding in accident and emergency (A&E) departments, the NHS has confirmed.

Ten hospital trusts have been piloting new assessment centres to deal with people experiencing a mental health crisis.

The aim is to get these patients into appropriate care in a calm environment, avoiding long waits in A&E.

NHS England said the new units would reduce overcrowding in hospitals and relieve pressure on emergency services, including the police.

But Andy Bell, the CEO of the Centre for Mental Health, an independent charity, said any new provision needed to be properly funded.

The scheme is expected to be expanded nationally to "dozens of locations", the government said, as part of its 10-year NHS plan.

These clinics will be open to walk-in patients as well as those referred by GPs and police, with specialist staff present to treat people in acute mental distress.

Speaking to the Times newspaper, NHS England chief Sir Jim Mackey hailed the "pioneering new model of care", external, where people can "get the right support in the right setting".

"As well as relieving pressure on our busy A&Es, mental health crisis assessment centres can speed up access to appropriate care, offering people the help they need much sooner so they can stay out of hospital."

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Source: BBC News, 24 May 2025