The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) has welcomed today’s announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care that £343 million will be invested in 159 new NHS mental health facilities across England, including 100 community mental health centres and 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments.
Ambulance services provide a significant amount of care for those experiencing mental health issues, so we hope this new investment will represent a significant step towards improving access to mental health care, helping people receive support earlier and closer to home, while providing more appropriate specialist care for those experiencing a mental health crisis.
Recent figures highlighted in The Telegraph demonstrate the scale of the challenge facing NHS ambulance services. London Ambulance Service responded to almost twice as many mental health-related emergencies in 2025-26 as in 2022-23, with mental health-related 999 calls rising from 52,753 to 99,287.
Although these figures relate to London, ambulance leaders across the UK continue to report increasing levels of mental health-related activity, highlighting the importance of expanding community support and ensuring patients can access the right care before reaching crisis point.
Anna Parry, Managing Director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, said:
“We warmly welcome this investment in community mental health services and dedicated mental health emergency departments. Ambulance services see first-hand the growing demand for urgent mental health support and the challenges patients can face in accessing the right care at the right time.
“The sharp increase in mental health-related 999 calls in recent years underlines the scale of unmet need and the importance of strengthening support before people reach crisis point. By improving access to community-based care and creating more specialist environments for people experiencing a mental health emergency, this investment has the potential to improve patient experiences and outcomes, while helping ensure ambulance clinicians can connect people to the most appropriate support more quickly.
“We look forward to seeing these new services developed and working alongside ambulance services and wider system partners to deliver better mental health care for patients across England.”
