New Horizons launched

Today sees the launch of New Horizons: A shared vision for mental health, a cross-government action programme intended to improve mental well-being and drive up the quality of mental healthcare in England.

The key themes of the strategy are:

- prevention of mental ill health and promoting mental health
- early intervention
- tackling stigma
- strengthening transitions
- personalised care
- innovation

These themes, notably early intervention, personalised care and innovation, are also incorporated within the projects in Revolving Doors' National Development Programme.

New Horizons addresses mental ill-health for offenders and those experiencing homelessness, social exclusion and dual diagnosis - the 'revolving doors group'. Strategies to tackle these issues are examined in the context of multi-agency commissioning and collaboration.

New Horizons recognises that:

"their life style and dual or triple diagnosis means their needs may not fit neatly into current, siloed service provision. A shift towards coordinated treatment based on needs rather than the acceptance criteria for services will help engage those who need our help the most."

The strategy highlights the Government's commitment to the actions outlined in the Offender Health Strategy - following Lord Bradley's review - and to developing a cross-departmental strategy for personality disorder.

Additionally, a key theme is improving the transition from children's to adult's mental health services, an issue highlighted in our work on Transition to Adulthood. The New Horizons strategy retains the themes of service user engagement, choice and control from its predecessor, the National Service Framework for mental health. In particular, New Horizons highlights their importance in services designed for those undergoing the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It suggests that commissioners and providers will need to incorporate “a youth voice in planning and designing services to ensure that services are genuinely youth focused.” To find out more about Revolving Doors' Young People's Service User Forum please follow the link here.

You can read Revolving Doors' response to the initial New Horizons consultation, which informed the final strategy, here.