“Mental health services are being set up to fail” – Mind responds to the fall in proportion of NHS spending going to mental health despite record numbers contacting the NHS for support

Analysis by Mind shows that the share of NHS spend going to mental health services is set to fall for the third year in a row. 

The news comes on the same day data shows continuing record numbers of people contacting the NHS for mental health support. More than 2.2 million people were in contact with NHS mental health services in January 2026. The previous record was just under 2.19 million in December 2025.

Spend on mental health services as a proportion of NHS spending fell from 9.0% in 2023/24, to 8.78% in 2024/25. It fell again to 8.68% in 2025/26 and is set to fall to 8.4% in 2026/27. 

Mental health makes up 20% of illness the NHS has to treat, despite now receiving less than 9% of funding; with one in four people experiencing a mental health problem in any given year; and the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey shows that the prevalence of common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety is getting worse. 

Dr Sarah Hughes, CEO of Mind, said: “People with mental health problems are being let down and mental health services are being set up to fail. It is indefensible that the share mental health funding is set to fall for the third year in a row, while record numbers of people are in contact with the NHS and further scandals about the treatment of people with serious mental illness in inpatient care continue to rack up.

“We know the system needs reform, but this is impossible without the resource to do so. Mental health services need proper and sustained investment to innovate, improve and reach people when they need support most. We urgently need to cut waiting times, raise the quality of community and inpatient care, and tackle the social and economic factors driving poor mental health.

“The UK Government is currently carrying out reviews into the prevalence of mental health problems and the delivery of mental health services. But the findings, recommendations and policies implemented off the back of these reviews will be undermined if mental health care is increasingly under resourced and government shows no urgency in prioritising mental health.”