A moment for mental health?
NHS Confederation
We bring together, support and speak for the whole healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“There was quite a lot of concern that mental health would be missing in the 10 Year Health Plan,” admits Rebecca Gray , director of the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network.
“But not only is it present, it's threaded through in quite useful ways. As a sector, we're more encouraged than we thought we potentially might be at this stage,” she says.
Mental health leaders echo her relief and welcome the plan’s bold ambitions.
“I read it with a great degree of optimism and excitement,” reflects Dr Chike Ify Okocha , chief executive of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust .
“The vision is right, the content right, but it's going to be about the delivery.”
For James Duncan , chief executive of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust , the plan sets the right direction of travel. It presents opportunities to focus on the social determinants of mental ill health, move forward the 24/7 mental health model and harness digital to better understand population health and shift power from organisations to people.
But it doesn’t come without challenges.
In this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor , Ify, Rebecca and James walk through the plan’s implications for mental health – from what to do about declining mental health among young people, to grasping the opportunity of neighbourhood health, and tackling the capital conundrum.
Listen for their take, and get a glimpse into Tom Gurney 's life as director of strategic communication and engagement at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, and beyond, as he tackles our six burning questions.
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Giving people with lived experience a voice
1moIt's good that Experts by experience such as myself with over 20 years experience with using mental health services are being seen as integral in the planning and delivery of services yet the opportunity for us to attend somewhere like the NHSConfed conference where our views should be heard are unable to attend due to the extortionate cost of tickets. Why are Not for profit tickets more expensive than charities or MHS organisations?. Persinally I cant see the logic in it.
Project Manager
1moIt’s encouraging to see mental health finally woven into the NHS Ten-Year Plan with clarity and ambition. But as many have rightly said, delivery is the real test. At TherapyFast, we’re already helping bridge that gap — offering instant, 24/7 AI-powered support to communities, workplaces, and care networks. The future of mental health can’t wait until 2035 — it needs action now. 📅 Book a quick demo: https://calendly.com/nicky-therapyfast/15min 🌐 Learn more: www.therapyfast.app 📧 Contact: nicky@therapyfast.co.uk