Our Response to this week’s Government Announcement on Mental Health Services
- Chloe Berrigan
- Jul 2
- 3 min read
On Friday the 27th June 2025, the Department for Health and Social Care released a new report entitled “Boost to mental health services from thousands of extra staff”. The report references extending the number of staff offering mental health care and making “digital advances”, which sounds very positive.
Our CEO Jake Mills reflected on the strides announced by the DHSC and highlights what could still be missing from the government’s plan if they want to see a real shift in improving mental health services long term.
Statement from Jake Mills
This government announcement includes some positive progress for mental health support in the UK, which we of course welcome.
News of more than 6,700 new mental health workers being recruited is encouraging as this is, rightly so, a priority area. Plans for 85 new emergency mental health departments are also a step in the right direction, a way to make sure there is a specific place for those in mental health crisis to access urgent and appropriate care.
The government also announced the development of six pilot sites testing new 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres. Chasing the Stigma is proud to be working with South London and Maudsley (SLaM) on theirs, and we’ve been working with several other partners on potential sites, if and when the pilot scheme is extended. We believe in the potential of this approach. But we also know it will take serious work to see it through and to replicate it across other areas. That will require the government to fully back the pilot sites and lead with support, as they learn from both the successes and the challenges along the way.
The government has also committed to improving access to 24/7 support through the NHS App. They suggest people won’t need to “turn to costly mental health apps” and can instead use the NHS App to “get the care” which they claim is continuing efforts to tackle health inequalities.
While this sounds like progress in theory, the reality is right now a third of the people using the Hub of Hope, a free to use mental health app, are coming directly from NHS sources like 111 services, NHS.uk, and the NHS App itself. And yet, the Hub of Hope receives no statutory funding.
The system is depending on a service it doesn’t financially support. That’s not sustainable.
But it goes deeper than that. We can see from our data that many people turn to the NHS looking for support, but end up finding the help they need, often faster and without long waiting lists or high thresholds, from their local community organisations. The NHS simply isn’t resourced or structured to meet every need, and nor should it be, that is where charities, grassroots groups, and peer-led organisations step in.
We see it. We evidence it. And we are ready to share those insights and the voices of those communities to help shape a system that works for everyone.
I share the Health Secretary’s ambitions for a better, more effective neighbourhood mental health model, which I spoke about when I gave evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee in Parliament earlier this year. But to get there, we have to build it together. That means working across sectors, sharing the load, building a sustainable funding model, and designing services that reach everyone, especially those who can’t or don’t access digital tools.
This isn’t just about apps. It’s about people. People who are struggling. People who are trying to keep going. People who need to know that help is there when they need it, in their community, in a language they understand, and in a way that works for them.
I’ve written to the Secretary of State to offer our support, and I’ll keep doing so. Not because we expect anything in return but because we know we have real answers, trusted resources, and a deep understanding of what people need. We can help and we want to.
The government’s 10 Year Health Plan is due any day now. We hope it delivers more than warm words. We hope it brings real, long-term support for the people and organisations working every day to make it easier to get help.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, we just need to properly support what’s already working, in a way that’s sustainable, accessible, collaborative, and truly focused on people.
Jake Mills CEO & Founder, Chasing the Stigma
You can read the announcement from the DHSC here:
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