Redbridge's mental health services are facing significant hurdles, including funding gaps and a scarcity of skilled professionals, a recent Health and Care Policy Development Committee meeting revealed.
During the meeting on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Simon Froud, Executive Director for Adults Social Care and Health, provided an update on the borough's mental health provision. He acknowledged that while some providers reported sufficient funding and no extreme pressure, the wider sector is experiencing difficulties.
Key challenges identified by Mr Froud include funding
and workforce shortages of skilled professionals,
exacerbated by increasing demand
for services. These issues are further complicated by external factors, such as housing problems, with one statistic indicating that 98% of them suffer from mental illnesses which lead into the pressures that they face.
In response to these challenges, local authorities and health providers are exploring several initiatives. A proposal has been put forward to develop a hyper-localised
awareness campaign, designed to target specific communities and improve mental health awareness, aiming to address disengagement. Furthermore, a review of the Section 75 agreement is underway to foster better integration, co-location, funding, and staffing for joint teams. The overarching goal is to restructure service delivery to be more community-based.
More details on the committee's ongoing work can be found in the Health and Care Policy Development Committee work plan. The full reports pack from the meeting is available here.
