Centre for Mental Health was commissioned by the NHS Confederation Mental Health Network to explore what the mental health workforce of the future should look like. We wanted to look beyond the current strategy to identify what kind of workforce will be needed in the next decade or so and what challenges that presents now in ensuring we have the right people in place when we need them.
It takes time, sometimes many years, to recruit, train and develop health and care staff. So in planning for the future we need to start making preparations now for the kind of services we want in a decade’s time. In a new report, The future of the mental health workforce, we sought the views and experiences of people with personal and professional experience of mental health services in England. We held consultation events and focus groups across the country to understand the workforce as it is today, people’s hopes for the future of mental health support, and the implications for the development of the workforce in the coming years.
