Morning, Friday, 28th February 2025
Online
This conference will assess priorities for the future of mental health policy and services in England.
It will be an opportunity to discuss next steps following the Government’s pledge to modernise the Mental Health Act, as it consults on the development of the 10 Year Health Plan. It also follows Lord Darzi’s Independent investigation of the NHS in England, which highlighted disparity of funding and resources between physical and mental health. The conference will examine resourcing priorities for mental health provision, taking place following the announcement of £26m for new mental health crisis centres in the Autumn Budget, and ahead of the forthcoming Spending Review, with stakeholders expressing concern over the future of the Mental Health Investment Standard.
We expect discussion on ways forward for building and sustaining a preventative model of mental health care. Sessions will examine practicalities for strengthening community-based services, including bringing care closer to home as part of a wider strategy for mental health, as well as embedding mental health services and staff within NHS practices. Latest thinking on managing long-term mental health conditions will also be considered.
Areas for discussion include increasing mental health support for young people, looking at the rollout of Young Futures Hubs and providing access to mental health specialists within schools, as well as expansion and funding of NHS talking therapies. There will also be a focus on tackling inequalities and providing targeted support for vulnerable groups, including options for updating legislation on sectioning to address the disproportionate impact on black men, further supporting the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework, and addressing violence and coercive behaviour against women and girls, especially in domestic relationships.
We also expect the agenda to bring out latest thinking on patient choice and autonomy over care and treatment, including for patients with autism and other disabilities. Discussion is expected on ways forward for increasing patient access to advocacy bodies, and providing the option of choosing their primary carer.
Further sessions will look at options for strengthening the primary care workforce, including implementation of government ambitions to recruit more staff with specific training in suicide prevention, and updating the core curriculum for medical students to include mental health training. It will also be an opportunity to examine options for harmonising data approaches across services, including increasing data-sharing between NHS England and ICB leaders to, including upskilling workforce digital skills.
