Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Provider Collaborative has unveiled a bold five‑year mental health strategy aimed at transforming care “at every stage of life” across the region.

Launched alongside Birmingham City Council’s ‘Creating a Mentally Healthy City’ strategy at an event in Birmingham Council House, the plans strengthen a system‑wide commitment to improving the mental health and wellbeing of our citizens.

The strategy has been co‑produced with extensive input from service users, families, carers, partner organisations, and our local communities. Their message was clear: they want services that are easier to access, more joined‑up, more community‑based, and more consistent in improving outcomes.

The strategy focuses on five priorities:

  • Children and Young People: Joined-up support from schools to specialist care.
  • Acute and Urgent Care: Faster crisis help, more alternatives to hospital.
  • Community Mental Health: Care closer to home, tailored to local needs.
  • Learning Disability and Autism: Integrated, personalised support.
  • Specialist Placements: Efficient, effective care for complex needs.

Roisin Fallon-Williams, Chief Executive of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust said:

“This strategy is ambitious and rightfully so. It’s really important that we use the data and intelligence this strategy has gathered about people’s mental health needs and experiences of care to truly transform the way we deliver mental healthcare for people of all ages, in all communities.

“Launching this together with Birmingham City Council not only reflects our collective commitment to mental health, it also enables us to work together to tackle the wider determinants of health, such as housing, employment and education.

“The cornerstones of our plan are prevention and early help as well as expanding 24/7 neighbourhood mental health provision across Birmingham and Solihull so that more people can get mental healthcare on their doorstep, when they need it most.”

Helen Wadley, Chair of the VCFSE said: “This strategy gives us the opportunity to do things differently for and with our communities — not just by asking what they need, but by delivering real change with services rooted where people live.

Our voluntary and community sector partners are vital to achieving that ambition, but we must invest early and give voluntary and community organisations the support they need to flourish over the next five years.”

The strategy will be launched in Solihull in March and delivery plans for Birmingham and Solihull will be developed with communities over the coming months. The strategy and needs assessment summary can be found here

Colleagues from Birmingham City Council and the Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Provider Collaborative at the joint launch of their mental health strategies   From left: Helen Harrison, Assistant Director Healthy Behaviours and Communities, Birmingham City Council; Roisin Fallon-Williams, Chief Executive, BSMHFT; Sally Burns, Director for Public Health, Birmingham City Council; Jenny Watson, Deputy Director of Commissioning and Transformation, Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Provider Collaborative; Joe Merriman, Service Lead Public Health
Colleagues from Birmingham City Council and the Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Provider Collaborative at the joint launch of their mental health strategies
 
From left: Helen Harrison, Assistant Director Healthy Behaviours and Communities, Birmingham City Council; Roisin Fallon-Williams, Chief Executive, BSMHFT; Sally Burns, Director for Public Health, Birmingham City Council; Jenny Watson, Deputy Director of Commissioning and Transformation, Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Provider Collaborative; Joe Merriman, Service Lead Public Health