Up to 159 new NHS mental health centres are to open in England

08:12, 02 Sep 2026Updated 19:03, 03 Sep 2026

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper (left) during a visit to a community-based mental health centre (CMHC) in Sheffield; the Government plans a rollout of up to 159 new mental health centres, including 100 CMHCs

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper (left) during a visit to a community-based mental health centre (CMHC) in Sheffield; the Government plans a rollout of up to 159 new mental health centres, including 100 CMHCs(Image: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Wire)

New mental health facilities are planned in Hull. It is part of an England-wide rollout of community-based mental health centres (CMHCs) and mental health emergency departments (MHEDs).

Currently, there are six community-based mental health centres and 23 MHEDs in the country. Last month, the Government announced plans to greatly increase these numbers.

Up to 159 new NHS mental health centres are to open in England. The programme will begin this Autumn and further centres will open from March 2027 onwards as part of a phased four-year rollout.

An NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) spokesperson has confirmed to Hull Live the rollout plans locally. A CMHC is planned in Hull, as well as four in North Yorkshire.

Meanwhile, a mental health emergency department each is planned at Miranda House, Hull, and at a location in North East Lincolnshire. It was confirmed that the CMHC and MHED schemes are at different stages of development and remain subject to necessary approvals. North East Lincolnshire already has an existing facility that provides emergency mental health walk-in services, run by Navigo Health and Social Care CIC at Harrison House, Grimsby.

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Local NHS teams are working with partners to develop the schemes. The CMHC’s are 24 hours a day facilities designed to catch problems early, so fewer people reach crisis point in the first place, and operate on a walk-in basis.

Meanwhile, the MHEDs will help people in crisis get dedicated mental health emergency care rather than a long wait in an A&E department. Up to 100 CMHCs and 59 MHEDs are planned as part of the £343m England-wide rollout, which the Government characterised as the biggest redesign of mental health services in a generation.

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper visited a community mental health-based centre in Sheffield on the day the rollout was announced last month. She stated then, “Too many people are only getting mental health support when they reach crisis point, after struggling for far too long to get the help they need. These new community mental health centres will help people get support earlier and closer to home, making it easier to get the right care before problems escalate.”

When announcing the plans, 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 A&E.

“These new centres will be a lifeline for so many. They will bring NHS services closer to home, making it easier to get support before problems get worse, and ensuring those in crisis get the right care in the right place.”

In a similar manner to the rollout of NHS community diagnostic centres, some of the community hubs will be newly built facilities. Others will be in libraries, banks and other community or high street locations to move care closer to where people live, improving access. Overall, 57 of the up to 159 facilities will be new builds.

They will all be in the heart of the neighbourhoods they serve and designed as welcoming settings with a non-clinical appearance. The new mental health centres are intended to make it far easier for people to get the right help the first time they ask for it, by bringing mental health and specialist teams together under one roof.

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