DHSC:MHDP: SW Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health C

2026-11-03

• The government has appointed Professor Sir Simon Wessely to be one of two Vice-Chairs this review to support Professor Peter Fonagy as Chair of the review (see separate business cases) and work with an advisory working group of cross-system leadership and experience. • The Chair for the review has advocated for two Vice-Chairs instead of one, given the scale of the work and to deliver the review within the intended timescales. He stressed that the Vice-Chairs must be recognised across the community for their expertise, breadth of perspective and ability to enable and empower challenge. • It is crucial that the review has independent status and is led by experienced and respected experts in this field in order to give the review’s recommendations credibility and ensure they are informed by the evidence. Officials presented a number of Chair and Vice-Chair options to Ministers and Professor Sir Simon Wessely was selected based on his experience. • He is a prominent British psychiatrist and epidemiologist, known for his work in psychological medicine, particularly in military health, and for his leadership roles in national medical bodies. He is the Regius Professor of Psychiatry at King's College London and a former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal Society of Medicine. His research includes the mental health outcomes of veterans, and he also played a key role in the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act. • Professor Sir Simon Wessely has agreed to complete the work at a rate of £425 per day. It is expected that 2 days of his time per week will be required across the 6 months whilst the review is underway. Therefore, this business case seeks approval for 52 days of work in total (£22,100). • He will undertake the work via King’s College London. The payment will be made to King’s College London, which is why we must take a commercial consultancy route rather than an HR/fixed appointment route. This business case requires urgent approval so that Professor Sir Simon Wessely can start being reimbursed for his work as Vice-Chair for the review from from launch at the beginning of December (exact date TBC but likely to be w/c 1st December). This is a at risk contract and was signed after its start date

United Kingdom (UK)

2026-04-02