Call for prevention funding as Wales mental health crisis deepens
A charity has called for urgent investment in prevention as it published its manifesto ahead of the 2026 Senedd election.
The Mental Health Foundation says Wales is facing a worsening mental health crisis and that the next Welsh Government must commit to ringfenced funding for preventative action.
The charity welcomed the inclusion of prevention as a core principle in the Welsh Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2025 to 2035. It is urging political parties to ensure that this principle is backed with adequate resources.
According to Welsh Government data, mental health has declined steadily since 2018 to 2019, a trend intensified by the COVID pandemic.
The Foundation’s Commitment to Prevention manifesto calls for a dedicated budget to support interventions that prevent poor mental health.
Alexa Knight, Director of Policy and Influencing at the Mental Health Foundation, said: “Wales is gripped by a growing mental health crisis, and we cannot treat our way out of it. For too long, policy has focused on treatment and crisis response while neglecting prevention, the very thing that stops problems before they start, avoiding needless suffering and freeing up our NHS services. As yet, there’s still no dedicated budget for prevention in Wales and no system to track spending or impact in this area.
“We welcome the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, 2025 to 2035, and its focus on prevention, but words alone won’t change lives. The next Welsh Government must turn this principle into practice with ringfenced funding and clear accountability. That means tackling poverty and creating the conditions for good mental health for everyone. Our manifesto sets out how Wales can move beyond patching up symptoms and start building a healthier, fairer future.”
The manifesto identifies five priorities, including prioritising prevention in mental health spending, introducing a Welsh Child Payment, reaffirming Wales as a Nation of Sanctuary, developing a dedicated approach to children and young people’s mental health, and addressing the wider social determinants that shape mental health.
The charity says prevention delivers economic benefits by reducing demand on services and improving productivity.
A 2021 report by the Mental Health Foundation and the London School of Economics and Political Science estimated that mental health problems cost the Welsh economy more than £4.8 billion a year.
The manifesto highlights the importance of tackling poverty and inequality.
It says a Welsh Child Payment would help lift families out of poverty, reducing one of the biggest risk factors for poor mental health. Reaffirming Wales as a Nation of Sanctuary would support refugees and asylum seekers, helping protect them from the mental health impacts of trauma and exclusion.
The charity argues that children and young people need focused attention, and that developing a dedicated strategy for their mental health, alongside improvements to housing, education and employment, would help create conditions for good mental health across the life course.
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