The March 2026 NHS Alliance survey also revealed (59%) of the 37 respondents were likely to freeze vacancies and 57% were likely to reduce clinical staff.

The assistant director of the NHS Alliance's mental health network, Alex Stewart, said: ‘We welcome recent announcements on capital funding for community mental health centres and the confirmation of targets to improve access to mental health care.

‘But in the face of rising demand, the share of national NHS spend on mental health is expected to reduce for the third year in a row. 

‘It is essential that mental health investment is not allowed to fall behind, as the consequences of underfunding mental health for the wider NHS, the economy and public services will be significant.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'As well as investing a record £16.1bn into mental health services this year, we have recruited thousands of additional mental health workers since this Government came into office, and only last week, we announced the rollout of 159 new NHS mental health facilities across England, backed by £343m in funding.

'Later this year, our Mental Health Strategy will outline how we plan to future-proof the mental health system, including responding earlier and reducing waiting times for support.'