The recently established Mental Health Taskforce has received an astonishing response to its call for the views of service users, their families and professionals who work in mental health.

As he talks at the NHS Confederation annual conference in Liverpool today, Paul Farmer, the independent chair of the mental health taskforce and Chief Executive of Mind, writes in a blog that the huge response serves to confirm the importance and urgency of the group’s ongoing work.

“Over 20,000 people have taken part in our online survey, “he writes, adding: “The huge response has shown us the strength of feeling around the need to improve services for mental health.”

Both Mr Farmer and NHS Engcccland Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, have outlined to the Confed conference the emerging themes of responses from people about changes to mental health services.

The Mental Health Taskforce brings together health and care leaders and experts in the field, including people using services, to lead a programme of work to create a mental health Five Year Forward View for the NHS in England.

Formed in March 2015, its principal task is to develop a new five year national strategy for mental health covering services for all ages which will be published in the autumn. This is the first time there has been a NHS England-led strategic approach to designing mental health services for all ages spanning the health and care system.

Read more about the work of the taskforce here.