Rethink Mental Illness provides over 140 services in England, a network of local support groups, and delivers campaigns that bring about real change to the lives of people severely affected by mental illness.

Over the past year, our services continued to expand, supporting more than 24,000 people through housing, crisis, and community-based services across England. This reflects our commitment to ensuring that people living with mental illness, their families and carers receive high-quality, accessible support when they need it most.

It was a significant year for campaigning and policy influence. A major milestone came in December 2025, when the Mental Health Bill received Royal Assent, the first major reform of the Mental Health Act in over 40 years. This achievement followed sustained campaigning alongside people with lived experience and carers, and we are now helping to shape the new Code of Practice to ensure the legislation makes a meaningful difference in everyday care.

Our commitment to equity continued to guide our work. Through our ‘Don’t Cut Disability Benefits – Cut Mental Health Waiting Times’ campaign, we urged the UK government to protect people with mental illness from harmful proposals to the Welfare Bill. We also advanced our antiracism commitments through the publication of a second Anti–Racism Progress Report and the rollout of the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Plan.

Crucially, everything we do remains grounded in lived experience. People living with mental illness and carers shaped our policy and campaigning through roundtables, events, storytelling and co-production opportunities, with our Lived and Carers Advisory Boards continuing to steer the strategic direction of involvement for the charity.

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