According to IMPOWER, mental health services stand at a critical juncture. Demand continues its relentless climb, a trend exacerbated by the pandemic, while financial pressures are squeezing budgets to unprecedented levels. It’s a perfect storm, and “business as usual” is no longer a viable option.
Despite government pledges, the proportion of the NHS budget allocated to mental health is set to decrease in 2025/26. For the first time, it’s not just acute trusts feeling the pinch; as the recent consolidated provider accounts show, mental health trusts are also reporting deficits as a sector financial picture was a 0.1% overspend in 2023/24, down from a 1.1% surplus in 2019/20. With NHS Providers and the Royal College of Psychiatrists expressing their concern over funding, how can systems cope with the rising demand?
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