'Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020'

The Department of Health published Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020 on 8 October 2014.

The policy document announced an £80m investment in mental health services and set out waiting time standards for mental health services that would come into effect from 1 April 2015.

These standards were as follows:

• 75% of people referred to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme should be treated within 6 weeks, and 95% should be treated within 18 weeks
• more than 50% of people experiencing a first episide of psychosis should be treated within 2 weeks.

Introducing the first national waiting time standards for mental health services was part of the government's plan for achieving parity of esteem for mental and physical health services by 2020.