# Expand NHS talking therapies to 915,000 a year > “expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029 - up from 670,000 last year.” > > — HM Government; Get Britain Working white paper (GOV.UK), 26 November 2024 - **Status:** In plan - **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered - **Policy area:** [Health](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/health) - **Speaker:** [HM Government](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/hm-government) - **Made on:** 26 November 2024 - **Where:** Get Britain Working white paper (GOV.UK) - **Deadline:** 31 March 2029 - **Cost a year:** Costs £0.2bn to £0.24bn a year (central £0.22bn by HM Treasury, official) - **Who it affects:** Adults with common mental health conditions in England - **When:** By March 2029 - **Paid for by:** Not stated when it was announced - **Quote source:** https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-launched-into-mental-health-autism-and-adhd-services (checked word for word on 12 October 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0) - **Last updated:** 12 October 2026 - **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-talking-therapies-915k-2029 ## Where it stands In 2025-26, 674,683 referrals completed a course of NHS Talking Therapies, up 0.6% on the year before, with 50.1% reliably recovering (NHS England Digital, 24 September 2026); reaching 915,000 in 2028-29 needs about 36% more, and NHS England's interim target is 805,000 in 2026-27 with 51% recovery. The expansion was funded by the previous government's Autumn Statement 2023 (£220m in 2028-29) and kept by this government as an existing commitment; NHS England's plan sets the 915,000 target with a 53% recovery rate. The Department of Health and Social Care restated it on 9 October 2026. Figures count referrals, and one person can have more than one. ## Timeline - 26 November 2024, Promised: The Get Britain Working white paper commits to keep expanding NHS Talking Therapies, with 384,000 more people expected to complete a course - 26 November 2024, In plan: The white paper sets the expansion out as part of the plan to tackle ill health-related economic inactivity ([evidence](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-britain-working-white-paper/get-britain-working-white-paper)) - 4 December 2025, Reworded: The Department of Health and Social Care sets the target as 915,000 people completing a course by March 2029, up from 670,000, following NHS England's October 2025 plan ([evidence](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-launched-into-mental-health-autism-and-adhd-services)) - 31 March 2029, Deadline (to come): 915,000 courses of NHS Talking Therapies in 2028-29 due by March 2029 ## About the cost Year used: 2028-29, the target year. The Autumn Statement 2023 costed "Talking Therapies: expand access and increase provision" at £220m in 2028-29, rising from £25m in 2024-25 (Table 5.1); central figure only, so low–high is an editorial ±10%. It was costed by the previous government for the expansion this government kept. Costing sources: - [HM Treasury: Autumn Statement 2023, Table 5.1, Talking Therapies: expand access and increase provision](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-statement-2023/autumn-statement-2023-html) ## Earlier wording - Version 1, 26 November 2024: “the government has committed to continuing to expand access to NHS Talking Therapies for adults with common mental health conditions in England. This is expected to increase the number of people completing courses of treatment by 384,000 and increase the number of sessions.” ([source](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-britain-working-white-paper/get-britain-working-white-paper)) ## Sources - [Get Britain Working white paper, 26 Nov 2024, paragraph 55](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-britain-working-white-paper/get-britain-working-white-paper) - [Department of Health and Social Care press release, 4 Dec 2025: Review launched into mental health, autism and ADHD services](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-launched-into-mental-health-autism-and-adhd-services) - [NHS England: Medium Term Planning Framework, 2026/27 to 2028/29 (October 2025)](https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/medium-term-planning-framework-delivering-change-together-2026-27-to-2028-29/) - [HM Treasury: Autumn Statement 2023, Table 5.1](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-statement-2023/autumn-statement-2023-html) - [NHS England Digital: NHS Talking Therapies annual report, 2025-26](https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-for-anxiety-and-depression-annual-reports/2025-26) - [Department of Health and Social Care press release, 9 Oct 2026: Government pledges earlier support to tackle mental health crises](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises) ## Checks - Checked by Pavel Guzhikov and 1 independent editor on 12 October 2026. --- LedgerGov.UK's own writing (headlines, status notes, cost notes, summaries) is licensed under [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): reuse it, crediting LedgerGov.UK with a link to the card. Official figures are under the [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) unless their source says otherwise; quotes from Parliament under the [Open Parliament Licence v3.0](https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/); other quotes are short extracts whose rights stay with the speaker. How the numbers and statuses are made: https://ledgergov.uk/method.