Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan

Why Do We Need Change?

We know that for many people, the vision we have set out in this Plan for mental health is not the reality they are experiencing. Although significant work is undertaken daily by our dedicated workforce across the public and third sectors to provide high quality mental health and wellbeing supports and services, we also know that for many people, accessing help for their mental health and wellbeing does not always feel straightforward.

The system we have was not designed to meet the current and changing population needs and demands and we know that patient outcomes and experiences can be variable across the country.

Staff working in our mental health system also report that the people they treat have more complex problems and diagnoses than we have seen before, creating pressures and challenges for current staff and systems.

Many people describe not knowing where to go or encountering services that don’t meet their needs. Some people might wait a long time to get help or must tell their story multiple times before they find the right person to support them.

Mental health supports and services need to work in a more joined up, person-centred way so we can deliver safe and quality care to meet the range of demand. This is particularly important for groups who can face additional barriers to accessing services, including people with protected characteristics or people in secure care or in contact with the justice system who often experience high levels of mental ill health, trauma and other health inequalities.

It is unacceptable that people with lifelong mental health illnesses are more likely to die 15-20 years prematurely^[1]. This remains a key priority for clinical services and wider public and third sector partners who seek to support them and address the stigma they too often face.