NHS at 75 - a timeline of mental health and Pennine Care

To mark the 75th birthday of the NHS, we've shared a timeline with some key NHS and Pennine Care milestones, and developments in care for mental health and learning disabilities.

Pre-NHS - People suffering from mental health problems and disabilities were treated inside austere Victorian asylums, kept away from public view

1948 - At Park Hospital, now Trafford General, the NHS was launched to provide free healthcare services at the point of delivery.

1953 – Chad Varah starts a ‘999 for the suicidal’, which becomes the Samaritans

1959 – The first Mental Health Act which sets out that entry to hospital is to be decided on medical rather than legal terms. It also starts to bring mental health care within the NHS.

1960s – Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is developed by Aaron Beck, a type of talking therapy focusing on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and actions. It continues to be an evidence-based treatment for many mental health conditions.

1961 - the government declared the Victorian asylums should be closed and patients cared for in conventional hospital wards, or within the community.

1970 – Education (Handicapped Children) Act brings children with learning disabilities into the mainstream education system

1971 – A paper is published called ‘better services for the mentally handicapped’, which aims to increase local and community care rather institutional settings

1980s - Francine Shapiro develops a form of psychotherapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which can help to alleviate distress linked to traumatic memories such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

1983 – The Mental Health Act is revised, setting out people’s rights regarding assessment and treatment in hospital and the community, including those who are detained and sent to hospital to receive care (sometimes called ‘being sectioned’). The act has been amended in 1995, 2001 and 2007.

1992 – World Mental Health Day is launched, on 10 October

2002 – Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust is formed as a mental health service provider across parts of Greater Manchester, becoming the 100^th NHS trust

2002 - National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) first publishes mental health guidance, which is later updated  to include psychosis and schizophrenia

2005 – The Mental Capacity Act protects the rights of those without the capacity to make decisions, such as those with severe mental health needs or learning disabilities

2008 – The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme is launched to transform the treatment of anxiety and depression, our services were known as Healthy Minds

2008 – Pennine Care starts providing community physical health services in Bury, Rochdale and Oldham

2009 – Time to Change is launched, a campaign to end mental health discrimination and stigma

2013 – Pennine Care starts providing community physical health and mental health services in Trafford

2014 – The NHS Five Year Forward View highlights that one in four people will experience mental health problems, and mental illness is the largest cause of disability

2015 – Samaritans launches their free to call helpline: 116 123

2019 – Pennine Care focuses on being a specialist mental health, learning disability and autism service provider, with community physical health services transferring to other NHS providers

2020 – All NHS mental health trusts in England opened 24/7 crisis mental health helplines. Ours is 0800 014 9995

2022 – NHS England introduces new mental health waiting time standards, which include a 24-hour target for urgent mental health care

2023 – NHS Talking Therapies is the new name for all improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) services (such as Healthy Minds) across the country, following a big consultation. Our graphic design manager Lisa Manning was chosen to design the rebrand.