Yvette Cooper unveils walk-in community mental health centres

The new community centres - one of which will be in Hull - will offer walk-in support without requiring a referral with patients having to wait for months.

The Government is opening a new mental health centre in Yorkshire, and upgrading a further 11 as part of a £343m investment across the country.

The new community centres - one of which will be in Hull - will offer walk-in support without requiring a referral with patients having to wait for months.

Four sites in North Yorkshire and one in Sheffield are being expanded to provide these services.

These will be located in libraries, banks or other community locations to make them easy to access.

The Government is also creating dedicated mental health emergency departments in St James' University Hospital, in Leeds, the Barnsley District General Hospital and the Longley Centre, in Sheffield, as well as sites in Wakefield and Hull.

It is hoped that the new community centres will allow people to seek help before they reach crisis point.

The first sites will open from autumn this year, with further facilities following from March 2027.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “These new centres will be a lifeline for so many.

“They will bring NHS services closer to home, making it easier to get support before problems get worse, and ensuring those in crisis get the right care in the right place.

“On the steps of Downing Street, I said we would build a country that acts sooner when people need help. Today is just the start of making that a reality.”

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper is in Sheffield this morning to launch the roll out.

She said: “Too many people are only getting mental health support when they reach crisis point, after struggling for far too long to get the help they need.

"These new community mental health centres will help people get support earlier and closer to home, making it easier to get the right care before problems escalate.

“And when someone does need urgent help, new mental health emergency departments will be able to make sure they are seen quickly by specialist teams in the right setting.

"This is how we can turn the tide on mental ill health - preventing more people from reaching crisis, cutting waits for care, and building an NHS which is there for everyone when they need it.”