AdviceUK has welcomed the Government’s announcement of a £343 million investment in new neighbourhood mental health centres across England, but says the success of the programme will depend on ensuring free and independent advice services are embedded alongside NHS care.
The Government has announced plans to open up to 159 new community mental health facilities, bringing together NHS, local authority and voluntary sector support to help people access earlier intervention closer to home. AdviceUK says this presents a significant opportunity to tackle the wider social issues that drive poor mental health, including debt, insecure housing, welfare problems and unemployment.
AdviceUK, the UK’s largest network of free and independent advice services, representing around 700 organisations, says its members increasingly support young people whose mental health is closely linked to financial hardship, insecure housing and difficulties accessing welfare support.
Data from AdvicePro, AdviceUK’s case management system, shows that in just six years the number of cases involving 16 to 25-year-olds relating to employment, training and mental health has risen almost tenfold, from 1,568 in 2019 to 14,836 in 2025. This reflects the growing demand advice services are seeing from people whose mental health is affected by wider social and economic pressures.
AdviceUK says advice services already play a critical preventative role by helping people resolve problems before they reach crisis point. Evidence from co-located advice services in healthcare settings shows they improve mental wellbeing, reduce pressure on GPs and deliver significant social and economic returns. AdviceUK is calling on the Government to ensure regulated, free and independent advice services are recognised as a core part of neighbourhood health, as an essential local service, and supported by sustainable long-term investment.
Dr Zubaida Haque, Head of Policy, Programmes and Media at AdviceUK, said:
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to bringing mental health support closer to communities and intervening earlier, before problems reach crisis point.
“But for many young people, poor mental health does not exist in isolation. It is often driven or made worse by debt, insecure housing, problems with welfare benefits or unemployment. Free and independent advice services help people address those underlying issues every day.
“If neighbourhood mental health centres are to deliver on their promise, advice services must be recognised as an essential part of the neighbourhood health services. Embedding regulated free and independent advice alongside health services will help young people get the right support earlier, improve mental wellbeing, address any related economic inactivity and reduce pressure on the NHS.
“Advice services are already under significant strain because of rising demand and limited funding. If the Government wants to shift from crisis to prevention, it must invest not only in new mental health facilities, but also in the trusted advice services that help prevent people reaching crisis in the first place.”
Notes to Editors
About AdviceUK: https://www.adviceuk.org.uk/
AdviceUK is a national charity and the largest network of independent advice centres in the UK, delivering free specialist advice to millions of people each year on a diverse range of issues. Run by and for our around 700 members, we provide support, a community and development opportunities for members, as well as a voice on issues that affect them.
Press contacts:
press@adviceuk.org.uk or 07955 296206
