Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health
Updated 4 December 2020
© Crown copyright 2020
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About the concordat
The Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health is underpinned by an understanding that taking a prevention-focused approach to improving the public’s mental health has been shown to make a valuable contribution to achieving a fairer and more equitable society. The concordat promotes evidence-based planning and commissioning to increase the impact on reducing health inequalities. The sustainability and cost-effectiveness of this approach is enhanced by the inclusion of action that impacts on the wider determinants of mental health and wellbeing.
The concordat is intended to provide a focus for cross-sector action to deliver a tangible increase in the adoption of public mental health approaches across:
- local authorities
- the NHS
- public, private, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations
- educational settings
- employers
It acknowledges the active role played by people with lived experience of mental health problems, individually and through user-led organisations.
This definition of the concordat has been agreed by the organisations listed at the end of this document. It represents a public mental health informed approach to prevention, as outlined in the NHS Five Year Forward View and the Prevention Green Paper: Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s. It promotes relevant NICE guidance and existing evidence-based interventions and delivery approaches, such as ‘making every contact count’.
Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health
Consensus statement
This consensus statement describes the shared commitment of the organisations signed below to work together via the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health, through local and national action, to prevent mental health problems and promote good mental health.
The undersigned organisations agree that:
To transform the health system, we must increase the focus on prevention and the wider determinants of mental health. We recognise the need for a shift towards prevention-focused leadership and action throughout the mental health system, and into the wider system. In turn, this will impact positively on the NHS and social care system by enabling early help through the use of upstream interventions.
There must be joint cross-sectoral action to deliver an increased focus on the prevention of mental health problems and the promotion of good mental health at a local level. This should draw on the expertise of people with lived experience of mental health problems, and the wider community, to identify solutions and promote equality.
We will promote a prevention-focused approach towards improving the public’s mental health, as all our organisations have a role to play.
We will work collaboratively across organisational boundaries and disciplines to secure place-based improvements that are tailored to local needs and assets, in turn increasing sustainability and the effective use of limited resources.
We will build the capacity and capability across our workforce to prevent mental health problems and promote good mental health, as outlined in the Public Mental Health Leadership and Workforce Development Framework Call to Action.
We believe local areas will benefit from adopting the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health.
We are committed to supporting local authorities, policy makers, NHS clinical commissioning groups and other commissioners, service providers, employers and the voluntary and community sector to adopt this concordat and its approach.
Why sign the Prevention Concordat?
Signing the consensus statement and committing to a plan to address the prevention and promotion of better mental health is a cost-effective, evidence-based approach to reducing health inequalities and preventing future harm.
The impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the social and economic consequences of the pandemic have meant that tackling mental health at a population level has never been more important. COVID-19 has been recognised as a public mental health emergency that exacerbates existing mental health inequalities.
Mental health and substance misuse problems are responsible for 21.3% of the burden of disease in England. It’s likely that this figure is an underestimate. This burden is expected to increase due to the impact of COVID-19. Promotion of better mental health and prevention measures should therefore be included in emergency planning, restoration and recovery.
Signing up to the consensus statement and action plan is an opportunity to join a community of practice working towards creating resilient communities and building the case for a shift to support prevention activity. Ultimately, through both local and national action, our aim is to prevent mental health problems and promote good mental health.
How to become a signatory
From December 2020, we’re inviting local authorities, health and wellbeing boards, integrated care systems (ICS), sustainability and transformation partnerships (STP), and other health partnerships to sign up to the Prevention Concordat. Arrangements for voluntary, community, social enterprise sector partners and professional bodies will be announced later in 2021.
We are currently offering ‘commitment level’, a pledge to take action over the next 12-month period. There are clear prompts in the application form to guide your submission and a requirement to state how you will tackle health inequalities.
To be recognised as a Prevention Concordat signatory, you need to agree to the consensus statement and produce an action plan addressing the 5-domain framework.
The domains are:
- understanding local needs and assets
- working together
- taking action for prevention and promotion, including reducing health inequalities
- defining success and measuring outcomes
- leadership and direction
Sign-up process
- Contact publicmentalhealth@phe.gov.uk to request a Prevention Concordat Commitment action plan template
- PHE will contact you to discuss your application and review a draft action plan
- Email your final application form to publicmentalhealth@phe.gov.uk
- PHE will contact you within 2 to 4 weeks of submission with the result
After signing up to the Prevention Concordat Commitment, new signatories will receive a formal certificate and will be listed on the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health webpage.
Resources and guidance
Programme resources include case studies, guidance and evidence reviews.
Resources are designed to help local areas to put in place effective prevention planning arrangements. They are aimed at health and wellbeing boards, local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and other health partnerships.
A list of COVID-19 specific resources, as well as links to PHE’s COVID-19 public mental health webinar series, are available from the programme team. Please contact publicmentalhealth@phe.gov.uk
Use our resources to support local areas with prevention planning arrangements.
Signatories
The signatories listed here have signed the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health for All to highlight their commitment to engage in cross-sector, prevention-focused action through the adoption of public mental health approaches.
The Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health was co-produced by:
- Association of Directors of Public Health
- Association of Mental Health Providers
- Centre for Mental Health
- Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Faculty of Public Health
- Local Government Association
- Mental Health Commissioners Network
- Mental Health Foundation
- National Survivor User Network
- NHS England
- Public Health England
Map showing local authority and local health partnership signatories
Map produced by: National Mental Health Intelligence Network, PHE. Contains Ordnance Survey data and National Statistic data. Crown copyright and database right 2020.
Last updated: November 2020
Local authority and local health partnership signatories
- Bristol City Council
- Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
- City of London Corporation
- Cornwall City Council
- Coventry City Council
- Derby City Council
- Derbyshire County Council
- Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
- Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
- Durham County Council
- East Riding of Yorkshire Council
- Great Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership
- Gedling Borough Council
- Care Partnership
- Hampshire County Council
- Hertfordshire County Council
- Kirklees Council
- Leeds City Council
- London Borough of Hackney
- Middlesbrough Council
- Newcastle City Council
- Norfolk County Council
- Northampton Borough Council
- Northumberland County Council
- Nottinghamshire County Council
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Redcar and Cleveland Council
- Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
- Rushcliffe Borough Council
- South Gloucestershire Council
- Swindon Borough Council
- Suffolk County Council
- Thurrock Council
- Torbay Council
- Warwickshire County Council
- West Midlands Combined Authority
- West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership
- Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council
- York City Council
National statutory organisations and professional bodies
- Association of Directors of Public Health UK
- Care Quality Commission
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Faculty of Public Health
- Health Education England
- Local Government Association
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
- NHS Digital
- NHS England
- NHS Improvement
- Royal College of Nursing
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
National Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations and wider bodies
- Age UK
- Arts and Health South West
- Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
- British Dietetic Association
- British Islamic Medical Association
- British Institute of Learning Disabilities
- British Psychological Society
- Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
- Clinks
- Company Chemists’ Association
- Cruse Bereavement Care
- Diabetes UK
- Environment Agency
- Homeless Link – Rick Henderson, Chief Executive
- Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust
- Inspirited Minds
- Institute of Health Visiting
- Key Ring Living Support Networks
- Maternity Action
- Men’s Health Forum
- METRO Charity
- Mind
- Muslim Council of Britain
- Nacro
- National Development Team for Inclusion
- National Fire Chiefs Council
- Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
- East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
- Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
- Hampshire and Isle of White Fire and Rescue Service
- Humberside Fire and Rescue Service
- Kent Fire and Rescue Service
- Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
- Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service
- London Fire Brigade
- Nottinghamshire fire and rescue service
- Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
- Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
- South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
- West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
- National Probation Service
- National Suicide Prevention Alliance
- Network Rail
- The National LGBT Partnership
- National Voices
- Rethink
- Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland
- Samaritans
- Skills For Care
- StreetGames
- Student Minds
- Thrive LDN
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service
- Young Minds
- Young People’s Health Partnership
- Youth Access