Flagship 10YHP policy ‘won’t solve long A&E waits’

A flagship 10-Year Health Plan policy will have “limited ability” to cut emergency care pressures, one of its main objectives, according to research shared with HSJ.

The central mental health policy in the 10-Year Health Plan was a commitment to invest “up to £120m” in the next five years to create a network of around 85 “mental health emergency departments”, near existing hospital EDs.

It said the MHEDs would “[ensure] patients get fast, same-day access to specialist support in an appropriate setting”, because at present “many people experiencing a mental health crisis go to accident and emergency department because it is the most visible or accessible option”.

Waits of several days are common for patients in mental health crisis in mainstream EDs, and HSJ  has reported on multiple cases of poor care in acute hospitals for people with complex mental health needs.

However, in research published today, the Nuffield Trust think tank found that if the NHS simply opens more MHEDs, then “bottlenecks” and long waits “will persist regardless of where patients are seen”.

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Source: HSJ, 28 January 2026