Government hits key NHS target as Health Secretary recruits 8,500 extra mental health workers
This includes therapists, psychiatrists, mental health nurses and support staff, who are helping children, young people and adults
Thousands of extra mental health workers have been recruited to work in the NHS since June 2024.
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The Government has met its target to recruit more mental health workers three years early, with 8,500 new staff members in post in NHS trusts and communities nationwide.
This includes therapists, psychiatrists, mental health nurses and support staff, who are helping children, young people, and adults.
It is hoped that this will lead to reduced wait times, more care in the community, and better access to local services.
Around one in five adults in England is affected by a common mental health condition.
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting is expected to say in a speech to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine this morning: "Promises made, promises kept.
"This government promised to recruit 8,500 more mental health workers by the end of the Parliament.
“Today I can announce that we have kept our promise, three years early.
"We have recruited 8,500 more therapists, psychiatrists, and mental health nurses. They are delivering more care, earlier, and closer to people’s homes.
"We also promised to put mental health support in every school, and an extra 900,000 children can today access that support."
An extra £140 million is forecast to be spent by the NHS on mental health this year, increasing to a record £16.1 billion.
£473 million additional investment will be made by the government to improve mental health infrastructure by 2030, which will modernise facilities, expand community mental health services, and increase crisis care capacity.