Help us improve Community and Mental Health Services

Community and mental health services are central to the health and wellbeing of local people. They help people to:  

• live well in their homes 

• manage long-term conditions 

• recover from illness 

• and access support including mental health when they need it. 

We invest a lot of money in these services, spending approximately £167 million per year on adult community services and a further £235 million annually on all-age mental health services.  

The 10-Year Plan for Health (published on 3 July 2025), sets a clear direction for making three big shifts to how the NHS works, and this gives us the opportunity to think about how we can move: 

• From hospital to community: more care will be available on people’s doorsteps and in their homes; 

• From analogue to digital: new technology will liberate staff from admin and allow people to manage their care as easily as they bank or shop online; 

• From sickness to prevention: to reach patients earlier and make the healthy choice the easy choice. 

This comes at an important time for us. In our area we are: 

• Expecting a projected 25.4% increase in population by 2043 and a 63% increase in residents aged 65+.   

• The ageing population is driving a rise in complex care needs, chronic illness, and frailty. 

• The 85+ population will grow by 11,376 people, over 80% of people in this age group have at least one long term condition like diabetes, COPD, cancer or dementia. 

• Mental health needs are increasing across all ages, but current services are not configured to meet future demand.  

• Services have been commissioned differently across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes. This has led to differences in access, places of delivery, experience and outcomes. 

• The population analysis shows greater demand for early diagnosis and lifelong support for people with autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities. These needs are increasing across both children and adults. 

• Population change is widening health inequalities, particularly for deprived and ethnically diverse communities. 

• Our area is becoming more ethnically diverse (42.2% non-White British by 2043), and health outcomes already vary significantly by area and background. Without targeted, culturally appropriate provision, gaps in access, diagnosis, and treatment, particularly for mental health and neurodiverse conditions, will worsen. 

• The proportion of people aged 16–64 is projected to decline, creating a mismatch between the number of people needing care and the number available to provide it.  

• There are 4,200 people that work in community and mental health services across BLMK. The workforce is ageing and there is a shortage of new trainees locally and nationally 

Services across BLMK are currently provided by a wide range of organisations with variation in provision and funding with no overall co-ordination or integration between providers. 

Without changing how care is delivered for our residents, we will need 300 more acute hospital beds by 2037, costing £100m capital and £60m/year revenue, which is unaffordable and would reduce resources available to invest in community-based alternatives. 

As system partners, we are taking the opportunity to act and reform services together.  

Nothing in the short term. Our services will continue to run as they always have, but over the next two years we want to engage with people who deliver and use our services often, so we can make sure your thoughts and experiences are taken into account in how we design the services of the future.