Emergency mental health innovations require evidence based, co-designed approaches

The NHS 10 year plan announced an investment of £120m to develop “mental health emergency departments.”1 Before the plan’s publication, Downs expressed reservations in The BMJ about the unintended consequences of “alternatives to emergency departments,” including the risk of reinforcing the body and mind divide.2 Health professionals have raised similar concerns, and studies have shown that physical health is often overlooked in people labelled as having mental health problems.3