Mind reacts to fall in NHS mental health spending

The proportion of NHS spending on mental health as a percentage of its overall budget has fallen and is set to fall again next financial year.

Analysis by Mind shows that the share of spend on mental health services against NHS baselines fell from 9.0% in 2023/24 to 8.78% in 2024/25. 

In a written ministerial statement Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting confirmed that mental health spending as a share of baseline NHS spending would fall again by a further 0.07% in 2025/26.  

Mental health makes up 20% of illness the NHS has to treat. 1 in 4 people experiences a mental health problem in any given year. 

Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive of Mind, said: 

“It’s unacceptable that at a time of growing mental health need, and with so many people already on waiting lists, relative levels of mental health funding are falling. 

“The Secretary of State has acknowledged that we have a mental health crisis and that services are in dire state. But, despite having safeguards that are supposed to ensure the proportion of spending on mental health increases in line with the overall growth of funding to the NHS, the reality is we’re going backwards. 

“The government wants to fix the NHS and to help get people who can work back into employment. To do that, we need to tackle long waits for mental health treatment, improve the quality of in-patient care and address the drivers of poor mental health. That is only possible though if we see adequate and sustained investment in mental health.”