Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Nobody should be left to struggle with their mental health alone. But every day, thousands of people are waiting months for help, then finding the only door open to them is a busy A&E.
“These new centres will be a lifeline for so many,” he said.
“They will bring NHS services closer to home, making it easier to get support before problems get worse and ensuring those in crisis get the right care in the right place.”
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper added: “This is how we can turn the tide on mental ill health – preventing more people from reaching crisis, cutting waits for care, and building an NHS which is there for everyone when they need it.”
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Cooper said there would be a “continual programme” of rolling out these mental health centres – with the first ones set to open this autumn.
“It will take a bit of time in some areas but 100 right across the country I think will make a real difference to getting people mental health support early,” she said, adding that “prevention can be much more effective to provide healthcare”.
She said the government has already increased mental health staffing, but said “what these services are going to be doing is bringing together existing teams of staff to work together in a different way”.
The chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health, Andy Bell, said he welcomed the announcement on the whole – although was concerned that the mental health emergency departments had not been properly tested yet.
He also said children and young people, who will be able to use these services, needed their own dedicated hubs.
But he said he was “delighted” that the government was taking action on mental health after it had been neglected by successive governments for too long.
“This must now be backed up by investment, most crucially in the workforce needed to provide effective mental health care,” he said.
Stephen Jones, of the Royal College of Nursing, said he agreed investment in staff would be crucial if the new centres were going to cope with demand.
“More services closer to people’s homes are a crucial step towards more humane care,” he said.
But he added: “To succeed, both will need specialist mental health nurses at the centre.”
The Department of Health said that the initiative is backed by £343m and the first sites will open in autumn this year, with “further facilities following from March 2027”.
