Daisy Cooper MP has launched a new campaign to boost the number of mental health beds in Hertfordshire, calling directly on the Hospitals Minister to provide the funding for a scheme that is ready to go.
Hertfordshire continues to have the lowest number of mental health inpatient beds per head of population in England, leaving many residents who are experiencing acute mental health crises without access to local support.
Some families have reported that their loved ones were placed in facilities far from home due to a lack of available beds nearby, limiting essential contact with familiar support networks at a critical time, whilst also pushing up local NHS spend on private beds miles away.
Daisy raised this issue with the previous Conservative government in 2023 but they failed to act.
Earlier this year on 7th January, Daisy Cooper MP met with the new Labour Hospitals Minister to raise the need for additional capacity, and to highlight Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust’s (HPFT) proposal for a new facility in Stevenage. The proposed development would help increase the number of inpatient beds in the county and ease pressure on existing mental health services in West Hertfordshire.
Following the face-to-face meeting, Daisy has now written to the Minister to outline the support of local health authorities for the proposal and to underline the urgent need for expanded provision.
Daisy said:
“Time and again, I’ve heard heartbreaking stories from local families who have seen their loved ones sent miles away, just at the very moment they needed their support networks the most. No family should have to make long and exhausting journeys just to be present for someone in crisis. Increasing local inpatient capacity is vital to ensuring that people can receive care close to home and recover faster.
“I know that the Minister genuinely understands the need to improve and expand NHS buildings in community settings and I’m grateful to her for giving me the time to make the case for this important project.
“Our local mental health trust has the land and the plans – they just need government money to build it. What’s more, given the cost of sending people out-of-area, this new build project would effectively pay for itself from day one with recurring savings every year thereafter. This means that giving the green light for these new beds would not only be good for people in crisis and their families, but good for the tax-payer too.”
Daisy meeting with the Hospitals Minister on 7 January 2026.