Poor mental health is increasing across the UK, and the gap between those experiencing the best and worst mental health continues to widen. These are the headline findings from a major new report published by the Mental Health Foundation, examining how population mental health has changed over the past two decades.
Drawing on long-term data from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the report concludes that financial hardship is now the strongest driver of mental health inequality, with young people and women experiencing some of the sharpest declines in wellbeing over the last decade.
While the findings present a national picture, many of the issues identified are already recognised within Leeds. Across the city, partners from the NHS, Leeds City Council, the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector and local communities are working together to tackle health inequalities, improve mental wellbeing and ensure support reaches those who need it most.
What the national evidence tells us
The Mental Health Foundation’s report identifies several clear trends across the UK.
These include:
- Poor mental health has increased over the past 20 years.
- Mental health inequalities continue to widen.
- Financial insecurity is now the strongest predictor of poor mental health.
- Young people and women have experienced some of the greatest declines in wellbeing.
- Rural and urban communities experience different challenges, meaning local responses are essential rather than one-size-fits-all national approaches.
The report argues that improving mental health cannot rely solely on healthcare services. Instead, reducing poverty, strengthening communities, improving housing, supporting employment and tackling wider inequalities all play an important role in improving population mental health.
Read the full report:
[https://reports.mentalhealth.org.uk/foundation-reports/]
Leeds has already recognised these challenges
Many of the themes identified in the report are already reflected within Leeds’ long-term ambitions for health and wellbeing.
The Leeds Mental Health Strategy recognises that mental health is shaped by much more than access to healthcare. It highlights the importance of prevention, early intervention, reducing inequalities and creating the conditions that allow people and communities to thrive.
Rather than viewing mental health as the responsibility of health services alone, the strategy sets out a whole-city approach involving the NHS, Leeds City Council, education, employers, community organisations and residents working together to improve mental wellbeing across Leeds.
Read the Leeds Mental Health Strategy:
Financial wellbeing and mental wellbeing are closely connected
One of the strongest messages within the Mental Health Foundation report is the relationship between financial hardship and poor mental health.
This is also recognised within the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023–2030, which identifies poverty, insecure employment, housing, education and the cost of living as major influences on people’s health and wellbeing.
The strategy recognises that improving health means addressing the wider conditions in which people are born, grow, live and work. It places prevention, partnership working and reducing inequalities at the centre of Leeds’ approach, recognising that community organisations have a vital role alongside statutory services in supporting healthier communities.
Read the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy:
[https://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/Leeds%20Health%20Wellbeing%20Strategy%202023-2030.pdf]
A Fairer, Healthier Leeds
The report also reinforces the ambitions behind Fairer, Healthier Leeds, the city’s commitment to reducing health inequalities.
Drawing on the principles of the Marmot Review, Fairer, Healthier Leeds recognises that people’s health is influenced by factors such as income, employment, education, housing, transport, social connections and opportunities within their communities.
This wider understanding of health closely reflects the Mental Health Foundation’s findings that improving mental wellbeing requires action well beyond healthcare services alone.
The report provides further evidence that addressing these wider determinants of health should remain central to improving mental health outcomes.
Find out more about Fairer, Healthier Leeds:
Connecting people with the right support
National evidence and local strategies are only meaningful if people know where to find help when they need it.
In Leeds, MindWell plays an important role in connecting people with trusted mental health information, local services and community support. Developed through partnership working across the Leeds health and care system, MindWell brings together information from NHS services, Leeds City Council, VCSE organisations and other partners into one accessible resource.
Whether someone is looking for advice about anxiety, depression, bereavement, loneliness, crisis support, peer support groups or local wellbeing services, MindWell helps people navigate what can often feel like a complex system.
Importantly, MindWell is more than a directory. It supports Leeds’ wider ambitions around prevention, early intervention and self-care by helping residents, professionals and community organisations access reliable information and appropriate support before problems escalate.
It is one of the practical ways that Leeds’ mental health partnership connects strategy with day-to-day support for people living in the city.
Find out more about MindWell:
[https://www.mindwell-leeds.org.uk/]
The VCSE sector is central to Leeds’ mental health landscape
The Mental Health Foundation’s report reinforces something organisations across Leeds already understand: improving mental health happens in communities as well as in clinical settings.
Across the city, voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations provide trusted spaces where people build relationships, reduce isolation, access practical support and receive help long before they reach crisis.
Many organisations also act as an important bridge between communities and statutory services. They help people navigate support, build confidence, improve wellbeing and connect individuals with the right services at the right time.
Resources such as MindWell strengthen this wider system by making it easier for community organisations, health professionals and residents to access consistent, trusted information about mental health and wellbeing.
Together, the NHS, Leeds City Council and the VCSE sector create a connected mental health landscape where prevention, community support and clinical care complement one another rather than working in isolation.
Looking ahead
The Mental Health Foundation’s report reinforces something that organisations across Leeds have recognised for many years: improving mental health means tackling the wider conditions that shape people’s lives.
The city’s strategies, partnerships and community organisations are already working towards many of the recommendations highlighted within the report, recognising that reducing inequalities, strengthening communities and improving access to support all contribute to better mental health.
For organisations working across the VCSE sector, the report offers further evidence that trusted relationships, community-led approaches and partnership working remain essential in creating a mentally healthier Leeds.
Further reading
Mental Health Foundation – Foundation Reports
[https://reports.mentalhealth.org.uk/foundation-reports/]
Leeds Mental Health Strategy
Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023–2030
[https://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/Leeds%20Health%20Wellbeing%20Strategy%202023-2030.pdf]
Fairer, Healthier Leeds
MindWell Leeds
[https://www.mindwell-leeds.org.uk/]
Leeds Observatory – Health Needs Assessments
[https://observatory.leeds.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/needs-assessments/]
