Black people are detained under the Mental Health Act at nearly 4 times the rate of white people.
This must end.
The Black Mental Health Manifesto demands structural change. 23 recommendations. 3 areas of action. A coalition of people and organisations saying: enough.
Never only about race.
Black mental health lives where being Black meets being queer, disabled, a woman, a man, a migrant, of faith — and asks to be met in full.
The Crisis in Numbers
The evidence is clear
23%
Black adults experiencing a common mental health problem weekly — compared to 17% of White British adults.
NHS Digital, 2016
6%
Black adults receiving treatment for mental health problems — compared to 13% of White British adults.
NHS Digital, 2016
3.6x
Higher detention rate under the Mental Health Act for Black people compared to white people.
NHS Digital, 2023
£118bn
Annual cost of mental ill-health to the UK economy. Addressing disparities means cost savings for everyone.
McDaid et al, 2022
The Manifesto
3 Areas of Action
23 recommendations structured around the systemic, institutional, and cultural changes needed to close the inequity gap.
Addressing Structural Drivers
8 recommendations targeting government, commissioners, and Integrated Care Systems. Tackle racism as a determinant of health.
Read recommendations 1–8 → Part 2Improving Ways of Working
9 recommendations for the NHS, regulators, and practitioners. Embed antiracist frameworks and conditions for accountability within health systems and structures.
Read recommendations 9–17 → Part 3Reimagining Mental Health Support
6 recommendations to replace deficit-based Eurocentric understandings of mental health with care rooted in transformative justice, self-determination, community, and lived experience.
Read recommendations 18–23 →When community members speak, it’s essential that we listen.
Not Just Words
The Alliance doesn't just demand change — it builds solutions.
Assess & Align · Learning
Through programmes like Assess & Align and capacity-building resources, the Alliance equips organisations and practitioners to turn manifesto commitments into measurable progress.
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23 recommendations. Backed by evidence. Demanding structural change for Black mental health in England.