NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board (ICB) has unveiled its new Mental Health Strategic Plan 2026-2031, marking a significant commitment to investing in and transforming mental health services across Norfolk and Suffolk.
The plan sets out a comprehensive programme to improve emotional wellbeing, strengthen mental health outcomes, and increase access to high-quality support for people of all ages.
At the heart of the plan is a £20 million investment to expand Mental Health Support Teams into every school and college across Norfolk and Suffolk by 2030, ensuring children and young people can access help earlier, closer to home and in the settings they know and trust.
This investment reflects the ICB’s commitment to prevention, early intervention and reducing health inequalities, in line with the ambitions set out in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.
Currently, demand for children’s mental health services continues to rise, while local data shows inequalities emerging early in life and higher rates of self-harm-related hospital admissions among young people, particularly in Suffolk. By expanding Mental Health Support Teams to all schools, including independent schools and further education colleges, the ICB aims to ensure more children receive support before problems potentially escalate into crisis.
The phased programme will see Mental Health Support Team coverage increase to all schools and colleges in Norfolk and Suffolk by 2030.
Alongside this investment, the strategy outlines a series of major commitments, including:
- Commissioning a comprehensive, integrated perinatal mental health and parent-infant support offer by 2028.
- Embedding mental health professionals within neighbourhood-based care models across Norfolk and Suffolk.
- Developing new community mental health hubs in areas of greatest need, including King’s Lynn and Lowestoft.
- Strengthening support for people with severe mental illness, complex emotional needs and those requiring intensive outreach services.
- Redesigning crisis care pathways and investing in alternatives to emergency departments.
- Introducing a consistent county-wide approach to specialist mental health placements, helping more people receive care closer to home.
The plan has been shaped by extensive evidence from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessments of mental health carried out in partnership with Norfolk and Suffolk county councils. These assessments highlight the strong relationship between deprivation, inequality and poor mental health outcomes. Around 15% of adults in the area live with diagnosed depression, and people with severe mental illness experience significantly worse health outcomes.
The plan aligns directly with the three major shifts outlined in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan: moving care from hospital to community settings, shifting from sickness to prevention, and making better use of digital innovation.
Richard Watson, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Strategy, Digital and Commissioning, NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board (ICB), said: “The experiences people have in pregnancy, early childhood, school, adulthood and later life all influence their mental health and wellbeing. This strategy reflects our commitment to supporting them at every stage of life, with a particular focus on prevention, early intervention and reducing the inequalities that continue to affect too many of our communities.
“Our £20 million investment in Mental Health Support Teams will bring support directly into schools and colleges to help prevent problems from escalating, improve wellbeing and create stronger foundations for good, lifelong mental health.
“The plan reflects the ambitions of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan by shifting care closer to home, strengthening prevention and focusing resources on our communities facing the greatest challenges.”
Eugene Staunton, Director of Strategic Commissioning, Mental Health and Urgent and Emergency Care, NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board (ICB), said: “This plan has been informed by the experiences of local people, families, carers and partners across Norfolk and Suffolk. We have listened carefully to what matters most – easier access to support, help at the earliest opportunity, compassionate care and services that work together more effectively.
“Over the next five years we will invest in prevention, strengthen perinatal and children’s mental health services, redesign crisis care and ensure mental health is fully embedded within neighbourhood health services. Our focus throughout is on reducing inequalities and ensuring that people in every part of Norfolk and Suffolk have the opportunity to achieve better mental health and wellbeing.”
The plan also proposes the creation of a new Norfolk and Suffolk Mental Health Network, bringing together NHS organisations, local authorities, education providers, voluntary sector organisations, carers and people with lived experience to collaborate on shared priorities and deliver long-term improvements in mental health outcomes.
Lee Watson, Deputy Director of Public Health said: “The Norfolk Mental Health Needs Assessment helps us understand how mental health and wellbeing are affecting people across the county. It shows where early help and local support can make the biggest difference.
“By working together with health, care, voluntary and community partners, we can help people get support sooner, strengthen access to timely and effective help across our communities, and improve wellbeing for people of all ages.”
Stuart Keeble, Executive Director of Public Health Suffolk, said: “Good mental health starts early in life, and providing children and young people with the right support at the right time is one of the most effective ways we can improve lifelong health and wellbeing.
“We know the current specialist Mental Health Support Teams are already supporting young people by providing advice and support before difficulties escalate, and the teams are having a lasting impact on health outcomes. The further expansion to every school and college in Suffolk will strengthen this offer further.
“Supporting good emotional wellbeing and mental health in young people requires a collective response and this investment is a major part of the puzzle.”
The Mental Health Strategic Plan marks the beginning of a new chapter for mental health services following the creation of the Norfolk and Suffolk ICB, setting out a long-term programme of investment and reform designed to improve outcomes and create a more responsive, joined-up system for local people.