Today the NHS Confederation published six recommendations for investment in mental health, to meet the challenges faced by public services and to improve our communities’ wellbeing.
Drawing on evidence for solutions that would support effective, timely, and equitable mental health services, the NHS Confederation recommendations include:
- Expanding the network of early support hubs for young people
- Expanding offers within the NHS Talking Therapies programme
- Providing alternatives to hospital admission in a mental health crisis
We wholeheartedly support these recommendations, because we know they work.
School hubs
Through our Streetwise services, we provide school hubs for young people, which include drop-ins, 1:1 support, counselling, career advice, and group work.
In 2023, Streetwise funded an academic evaluation to explore the impacts of the hubs, in partnership with Northumbria University. The research found that the school hubs:
- Provide a safe space for young people which makes them feel valued and heard.
- Help young people feel more confident in staying safe at school and completing homework.
- Provide an additional specialist resource for young people and teachers.
- Give young people a sense of community, where they have a voice in the support they receive.
Offering a space that young people co-create, where they can be supported and celebrated without stigma, improves their mental health and wellbeing, increases their engagement and attendance at school, and grows their life skills.
Digitally-enabled therapies
We agree with NHS Confederation’s recommendation that these should complement, not replace existing provision. At Everyturn, we use digital solutions to create more time for our clinicians to treat the people who need us.
By introducing a self-referral AI chatbot across our NHS Talking Therapies services, we’ve increased referrals into our services by 32% (of which 38% are out-of-hours, giving flexibility to people with daytime commitments).
Our more recent launch of an AI therapy assistant, which gives support between sessions, has resulted in 25% higher recovery rates for those who opted in.
Alternatives to hospital for crisis
All our crisis services are focused on reducing pressure on our NHS colleagues in hospitals and crisis teams, putting support in place for people to avoid hospital admissions.
We supported over 18,000 people in crisis in 2023/24, including telephone support, drop-in safe havens on the high street, crisis houses, and 1:1 support to tackle the practical issues causing the crisis.
We know that mental health crises don’t exist in a vacuum. Whether it’s financial issues, relationship breakdown, unemployment, or unstable housing, hands-on support to overcome these issues is what keeps people out of hospital.
88% of people we supported in 2024/25 reported a significant improvement in their mental health, and we were able to support 100% of people referred within 5 working days.
“From a clinical perspective, having alternatives to offer people in crisis is an absolute gift. It offers the opportunity for a community and systems approach to help with distress, rather than a clinical approach which may not be what is required.” Feedback from NHS Foundation Trust Nurse Consultant
We’re also particularly proud to be a lead provider at one of the six neighbourhood 24/7 community pilot sites, referenced by NHS Confederation. When the hub launches in Cumbria later this year, we look forward to sharing benefits and outcomes of neighbourhood one-stop mental health hubs.
Key principles for mental health care
The NHS Confederation also offered the following recommended principles:
- Taking a holistic approach to mental health care
- Offering tailored and flexible support
- Providing adequate mental health support in later life
- Building a stronger mental health workforce
These are woven through everything we do in our services at Everyturn, and we would always welcome opportunities to share best practice or build new pathways for care. If this would be of interest, please email partnerships@everyturn.org.
