MOST people who know me well enough, know that one of my main motivations to become an MP was because I want to improve national mental health services, having watched a family member suffer without adequate support.

Mental health challenges affect both children and adults and although, as a society, we’re getting better at talking about mental health and recognising its importance, we still have a long way to go. Thousands of adults with serious mental health conditions are waiting months for support, struggling for far too long to get the help they need. For many, the only door open to them is a busy A&E when they reach crisis point.

This was certainly the case in our family’s experience. But this is leaving people without support and placing greater pressure on our NHS. That’s why this Labour government is turning the tide on serious mental ill health, with the biggest redesign of adult mental health services in a generation. Up to 159 new NHS mental health facilities will be opening across England under new plans.

Backed by £343-million, this will include: 100 new community mental health centres, offering walk-in support without a referral and 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments giving specialist care for people in crisis, and I’m absolutely delighted that one of those will be at Camborne and Redruth Community Hospital.

These new centres will bring NHS services closer to home, making it easier for adults to get support before problems get worse, and ensure that those in crisis get the right care in the right place. This Labour Government is building an NHS which is there for everyone when they need it.

Demand for mental health services has risen sharply, particularly among children and young people, with around one in five people experiencing a common mental health condition each year. The new community mental health centres will make it far easier for people to get the right support the first time they ask for it, by bringing mental health and specialist teams together under one roof – working alongside GPs, councils, the voluntary sectors and families, with direct links into housing and employment support.

The first sites will open from autumn this year, with further facilities following from March 2027. Some of the community hubs will be newly built facilities, while others will be in libraries, banks and other community or high street locations closer to where people live, improving access.

Alongside this, 59 new mental health emergency departments, such as the one at Camborne and Redruth Community Hospital, will provide fast, same-day specialist support for adults experiencing crisis who are medically fit and do not need treatment in A&E. Located with emergency departments and working closely with ambulance and police services, they will provide a calm, therapeutic environment where people can be assessed quickly and connected to the right ongoing care.

This rollout will more than double the number of dedicated emergency departments across the country, taking the total to 82.