Mental health services in the UK are at breaking point. With over five million referrals in 2023 and a 25 per cent reduction in inpatient beds since 2010, the gap between what people need and what the system can deliver is widening dangerously.
“Mental health doesn’t happen in silos,” warned Senior Independent Board Director at Cygnet, and meeting chair, Professor Lord Patel of Bradford. “We need both high-quality hospital provision and effective community care. It should never be a case of one or the other.”
The roundtable brought together parliamentarians, clinicians, local government leaders, and independent providers to explore how policy ambition can finally be translated into delivery.
The Implementation Gap: From Mental Health Policy to Practice
Attendees were united in their frustration that mental health policy is rich in vision but poor in execution. Despite the forthcoming Mental Health Bill and the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, services remain fragmented and underfunded.
“Mental health accounts for 20% of the disease burden but receives less than 10% of funding – this structural underinvestment is why services can’t keep pace with demand.” – Dr Lade Smith CBE
Lord Patel captured the mood succinctly, “we already know what works, but policy keeps chasing novelty.”
Chair of the independent Review of the Mental Health Act, Professor Sir Simon Wessely echoed this, arguing that failures often stem not from a lack of legal powers but from inconsistent application and oversight. The call to MPs is clear: stop the cycle of pilots and consultations and focus on rolling out proven models at scale, with delivery timelines and ministerial accountability.
Workforce: The Critical Infrastructure
The workforce crisis was identified as the single greatest determinant of success or failure. High-risk services are often staffed by the least experienced professionals due to attrition and vacancy pressures.
“Often the most challenging environments have been run by staff with the least experience,” warned Sojan Joseph MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health.
Attendees urged a comprehensive workforce strategy focused not just on recruitment but retention – through career progression, supervision, wellbeing programmes, and trauma-informed training. Former Non-Exec Director at NHS England, Baroness Watkins stressed that without urgent attention to staffing, any reform would “collapse under the weight of unstaffed services.”
Bottlenecks in Discharge and Housing
One of the most pressing challenges raised was the growing number of patients clinically ready to leave hospital but unable to do so due to a lack of community capacity or housing. This not only delays recovery but ties up inpatient beds and fuels crisis escalation.
The Beacon Lodge model – a 12-bed transitional facility run by Turning Point – was cited as a blueprint for national adoption. It has reduced readmissions, saved money across both mental health and adult social care budgets, and enabled patients to rebuild their lives.
“Too often when patients are clinically ready to leave hospital, there is nowhere for them to go,” said Joseph. “This leaves them stuck in hospital, causing blockages in the system.”
MPs were urged to push for step-down services to be treated as core infrastructure, funded and commissioned jointly by the NHS, local authorities, and housing providers.
Mental Health Equity and Detention Reform
Perhaps the most sobering part of the discussion centred on racial disparities in detention under the Mental Health Act.
“If you’re Black, you’re around ten times more likely to be detained,” Professor Sir Simon Wessely
Digital health platform Thalamos highlighted how poor data quality, and a lack of interoperability make it impossible to track repeat detentions or identify systemic bias.
Attendees called for mandatory, real-time digital reporting of detentions, equity targets, and cultural competence training across the workforce.
The Mental Health Bill’s provisions – such as strengthened patient rights and Independent Mental Health Advocates – were welcomed but must be backed by ringfenced funding and robust local accountability.
Cultural Change and Neurodiversity
The roundtable also explored the rapid growth in self-identification with ADHD, autism, and other conditions. While this trend reflects progress in stigma reduction, concerns were raised about diagnostic inflation and the strain it places on already stretched services.
“Among school-age children, nearly 50 per cent now identify with ADHD or autism – a massive cultural shift,” said Professor Wessely.
Attendees agreed that policymakers must balance respect for lived experience with clinical rigour, supporting accurate assessment and appropriate intervention. Public mental health education and workforce training in neurodiversity and trauma were seen as essential next steps.
Collaboration: The Path Forward
Speakers consistently emphasised that no single part of the system can meet current levels of need. Local authorities, housing providers, independent sector partners, and community organisations must be treated as equal partners in designing and delivering care pathways.
“We don’t think we can develop mental health services without developing partnerships,” said Lord Patel.
Cygnet Health Care’s investment in new hospitals, jobs, and workforce development was highlighted as an example of how independent providers can act as system stabilisers – offering capacity, capital investment, and specialist expertise when NHS services are overstretched.
What MPs Can Do Now
The report offers a clear roadmap for Parliament:
- Implement a National Delivery Programme – Roll out proven evidence-based models like the Community Mental Health Framework, step-down services, and early intervention pathways nationwide, with delivery milestones and local accountability.
- Rebuild Capacity – Restore inpatient beds where clinically necessary and invest in community provision, prioritising early intervention for children and young people.
- Put Equity at the Core – Embed equity impact assessments and measurable targets for reducing racial disparities in detention and outcomes.
- Mandate Joint Commissioning – Require ICBs, councils, and housing providers to share budgets and outcome frameworks, ensuring joined-up recovery pathways.
- Deliver a Workforce Strategy – Go beyond recruitment targets to invest in retention, supervision, wellbeing, and trauma-informed care training.
From Rhetoric to Reality
The roundtable’s conclusion was both hopeful and urgent. Baroness Bottomley summed up the evening: “The reforms are known. The data are clear. The lived experiences have been shared. It is now a question of political will, implementation capability, and genuine cross-sector collaboration.”
If MPs act on these recommendations, they can help transform mental health services from a system managing crisis to one enabling recovery and thriving – a shift that would benefit not only patients, but the whole of society.
To download a copy of the report, click here.
This event was kindly sponsored by Cygnet Group, a leading provider of mental health and social care in the UK.
