Lancashire to get new NHS mental health hubs under major overhaul
They will be created as part of a £343m overhaul of services across England08:16, 06 Aug 2026A major overhaul of NHS mental health services will bring new community mental health hubs to Lancashire as part of. . .
They will be created as part of a £343m overhaul of services across England08:16, 06 Aug 2026A major overhaul of NHS mental health services will bring new community mental health hubs to Lancashire as part of a nationwide plan to help people access support sooner and reduce pressure on hospitals. Lancashire is among the areas set to benefit from the first wave of 100 new neighbourhood mental health centres being rolled out across England, with the first sites due to open from this autumn. The expansion forms part of a £343 million investment which the Government says is the biggest redesign of mental health services in a generation. Neighbourhood mental health centres are also planned forBlackburnwithDarwen, while other North West locations include Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton, St Helens, Cheshire West and Chester, Manchester and Oldham. Alongside the community hubs, 59 new specialist mental health emergency departments will also be created across England, giving people experiencing a crisis access to dedicated care away from busy A&E departments. The move comes asNHSservices continue to face rising demand, with hospitals warning that emergency departments are increasingly becoming the first place people turn when they cannot access mental health support elsewhere. The Government says the new network of services is designed to provide help much earlier, before people reach crisis point, while creating dedicated pathways for those needing urgent care. The new neighbourhood centres will be based within local communities and are intended to make accessing support easier. Unlike many existing services, some will offer walk-in appointments without the need for a GP referral or lengthy waits for an assessment. Some centres will be newly built, while others will be created by transforming existing community buildings such as libraries, former banks and other high street premises. The aim is to make mental health support feel less clinical and more accessible by bringing services closer to where people live. Each hub will bring together NHS mental health teams, councils, voluntary organisations and wider support services, including help with housing andemployment. The Government says this joined-up approach will reduce the number of people being passed between different organisations before receiving the help they need. As part of the wider expansion, 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments will also open across England. These units will provide same-day specialist support for people experiencing a mental health crisis who are medically fit and do not require treatment in an emergency department. Working alongside ambulance services, police and hospital teams, they are designed to provide a calmer, more therapeuticenvironmentwhere patients can be assessed quickly. The expansion will more than double the number of dedicated mental health emergency departments in England, increasing the total to 82. Demand for mental health services has risen sharply in recent years, particularly among children and young people. Government figures suggest around one in five people experience a common mental health condition each year. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said too many people were "only getting mental health support when they reach crisis point, after struggling for far too long to get the help they need". She said the new centres would make it easier for people to access care earlier and closer to home, while ensuring those needing urgent help could be seen quickly by specialist teams. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "Nobody should be left to struggle with their mental health alone. But every day, thousands of people are waiting months for help, then finding the only door open to them is a busy AandE. "He added that the new centres would bring NHS services closer to communities and help ensure people received "the right care in the right place". Mental health charities welcomed the expansion but said its success would depend on ensuring services were properly staffed and integrated. Rethink Mental Illness said neighbourhood mental health centres could transform people's experience of care by bringing treatment and wider support together under one roof. Mind said the plans represented a "much-needed shift" towards preventative, community-based support. The Government says the first neighbourhood mental health centres will begin opening from autumn 2026, with further sites following from March 2027. Article continues belowSubscribe to our daily newsletter LANCS LIVE NEWS and get all the biggest stories from across Lancashire direct to your inbox