People experiencing mental health problems will receive earlier support ‘without long waits for clinical diagnosis’, the government has stated.
Adults and young people will have access to ‘broader support and advice at the earliest opportunity’, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) says in its response to clinical psychologist Peter Fonagy’s Independent Review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism. The government promises a ‘major overhaul ‘of mental health support with a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention in its forthcoming mental health strategy, with NHS leaders asked to ‘urgently examine’ how people can access advice, assessments and treatment more easily. The close relationship between common mental disorders and drug dependence also ‘reinforces the need to recognise and address co-occurring conditions together, not in isolation,’ the Fonagy review states. DHSC set out its new service delivery framework for co-occurring substance and mental health treatment at the end of last year.
Mental health spending is forecast to top a record £16bn in 2026, with the government expanding NHS talking therapies so more than 900,000 people can complete a course of treatment over the next two years, as well as rolling out almost 160 new mental health centres and mental health emergency departments across the country to enable timely help and support before people ‘reach a point of crisis’.
‘Our findings show a system under immense strain, where diagnosis has increasingly become a very narrow pathway to finding support for distress caused by complex and wide-ranging factors,’ Fonagy stated. ‘This review’s recommendations offer a roadmap to shift from a diagnostic labelling model to a flexible, needs-led system. Diagnosis remains essential and must be protected – what has to change is that it is no longer the only door through which help can be reached. If we judge success by a person’s overall wellbeing and ability to take part in work, education, and staying connected to their community rather than by a narrow mechanism like diagnosis, we can shift to a system that intervenes early in communities and safeguards specialist capacity for those with severe needs.’
‘Professor Fonagy’s review has shown the importance of early intervention to address mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions and the huge distress these can cause’, said health secretary Yvette Cooper. ‘We will set out our response in a new mental health strategy in the coming months, building on the new mental health services we are already providing in schools and in the community.’
Turning Point chief executive Julie Bass said her organisation welcomed the ‘clear recognition’ that too many people were waiting too long for support while they navigated fragmented systems that were often focused on diagnosis rather than need. ‘As a health and care provider supporting people with substance use and mental health issues, learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental needs, we see every day that people rarely fit neatly into a single category and we strongly support the review’s call for more joined-up assessment and support that focuses on the whole person,’ she said. ‘The call for a new cross-government mental health strategy is essential as only a whole-system approach can address the complex drivers of poor mental health, strengthen prevention and ensure people receive the joined-up support they need to live well, remain in work and thrive in their communities.’
Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism available here