Streeting admits another cut to mental health spend share

The proportion of the NHS budget spent on mental healthcare will be cut for the third year in a row, the health secretary has admitted.

Wes Streeting outlined 2026-27 spending plans for mental health services in a statement to the House of Commons this afternoon.

He said the proportion allocated to mental health in 2026-27 was forecast to be 8.4%, lower than the 8.71% planned for this year.

In a statement, he said: “This is a consequence of significant additional investment in other core areas, including those that benefit mental health services, such as the substantial amounts going into NHS technology and digital transformation, general practice, community-based services, and neighbourhood health centres.

“These system-wide improvements are focused on fixing the fundamentals of the NHS and, although they are not counted in pure mental health service spend, will deliver significant benefits for mental health services and patients.

“There are also important areas of mental health‑related expenditure not captured in the share of spend figure, such as prescribing mental health medication, continuing healthcare and NHS England’s investment in training the mental health workforce.”

CEO of the charity Mind, Sarah Hughes, said: “The UK government is currently carrying out reviews into the prevalence of mental health problems and the delivery of mental health services. But the findings, recommendations and policies implemented off the back of these reviews will be undermined if mental health care is increasingly under-resourced and government shows no urgency in prioritising mental health.”

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Source: HSJ, 12 March 2026