Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Boost to mental health services from thousands of extra staff, published on 27 June 2025, where the dedicated mental health emergency departments will be located.

The announced expansion of crisis assessment centres, also referred to as mental health emergency departments, builds on a number of early implementer sites that have been established in recent years by local health systems to provide a dedicated therapeutic alternative to emergency departments for individuals in a mental health crisis.

Locations for the new centres are being identified through a capital allocation process, involving expressions of interest from integrated care boards and regionally and nationally coordinated assessments of local need, existing provision, and system readiness.

The new centres will typically serve multiple emergency departments and will be accessible via NHS 111, ambulance conveyance, walk-in, or referral pathways.