Publish date: 18 December 2025
We’re taking an important step in how we deliver mental health services. Urgent care and community mental health services will be consolidated into a single, unified model. This change, which will be worked on over the next 12 months to achieve clinical and operational benefits, is designed to create seamless care pathways, improve clinical outcomes and strengthen workforce integration. Mental Health Care Division is committed to transforming services to meet the evolving needs of service users and staff. Current structures can lead to duplication and fragmented experiences. By bringing these services together, we’ll deliver a more efficient, patient centred approach, aligned with national priorities and Trust objectives.
Why this matters
- Integrated care delivery: combining urgent and community mental health services ensures continuity across crisis and recovery pathways
- Operational efficiency: shared governance and aligned resources reduce duplication and improve responsiveness
- Enhanced leadership: a unified structure supports agile decision making and accountability across the care continuum.
Benefits for service users
- Seamless care pathways: smoother transitions between urgent and community services, reducing delays and improving access
- Person centred approach: timely, personalised interventions with enhanced access to mental health professionals and crisis alternatives
- Improved clinical outcomes: shared data systems and integrated dashboards will drive continuous quality improvement and recovery focused care.
Benefits for our workforce
- Workforce development: flexible resource allocation, better planning and opportunities for skill development
- Integrated teams: multidisciplinary collaboration strengthens decision making and fosters shared learning and innovation.
Supporting evidence
- National planning supports neighbourhood models of care delivery
- Leadership forums and cost improvement plans show positive impacts on service quality, financial efficiency and patient outcomes
- Competency and reflective practice frameworks are being embedded to support staff through this transition.
This consolidation is a significant step towards delivering high quality, integrated mental health care. By aligning urgent and community services, we’ll create a system that’s responsive, efficient and focused on improving outcomes for service users and staff. Deputy divisional director, Lynn Hughes will be accountable for both services, no other role will be affected by this. If you’d like further information, please email, Divisional Director, Mental Health Care Division Mark