Jeremy BernhautSector leader

Biography

Jeremy Bernhaut is Associate Director of Policy and Influencing at Rethink Mental Illness, the national charity supporting people severely affected by mental illness; he was previously titled Head of Policy and Influencing at the same organisation. He has over 25 years' experience in service development and policy improvement, primarily in charities supporting people facing significant disadvantage, including refugees, asylum seekers and people experiencing rough sleeping. Before joining Rethink Mental Illness he served as a Senior Consultant in NHS England's COVID-19 vaccine deployment programme, leading strategic work to ensure the vaccine was meaningfully offered to marginalised groups. At Rethink he leads a team working in close partnership with people with lived experience to influence national policy, legislation and practice on mental health. He has been publicly quoted on issues including the growing mortality gap for people with severe mental illness, the fragmented transition from child to adult mental health services, and the government's ten-year mental health plan. He serves as the organisational contact for the Mental Health Policy Group, a collective of six organisations that meets with government, opposition ministers and NHS bodies to influence national mental health policy.

References

1. 1.Our people and governance – Rethink Mental Illness — Establishes Bernhaut's background, 25+ years' experience, NHS England COVID vaccine role, and his current remit at Rethink Mental Illness
2. 2.'Fragmented and inconsistent': We respond to HSSIB report on transition from child to adult mental health services – Rethink Mental Illness — Confirms current title 'Associate Director of Policy and Influencing' and quotes Bernhaut on CAMHS-to-adult transition (December 2024)
3. 3.Rethink Mental Illness respond to growing mortality gap — Confirms earlier title 'Head of Policy and Influencing' and quotes Bernhaut on the mortality gap in people with severe mental illness
4. 4.Wider policy network – Rethink Mental Illness — Confirms Bernhaut as organisational contact for the Mental Health Policy Group and establishes Rethink/Royal College of Psychiatrists APPG secretariat role

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking

Stated areas of expertise

• Mental health policy and legislation
• Mortality gap in severe mental illness
• CAMHS to adult services transition
• Suicide prevention policy
• Marginalised groups and healthcare access
• Mental Health Act reform

Notable achievements

• Led production of a report on the urgent needs of people experiencing homelessness in suicide prevention policy, as noted on his LinkedIn profile. Source ↗
• Serves as organisational contact for the Mental Health Policy Group, a cross-charity body influencing national mental health policy, co-secretariat (with Royal College of Psychiatrists) of the APPG on Mental Health. Source ↗
• Prior to Rethink, led strategic work as Senior Consultant in NHS England's COVID-19 vaccine deployment programme to improve vaccine access for marginalised groups. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “There are an estimated 1.8 million people waiting for [NHS] mental health care [in England] and the consequences are severe: suicide attempts, lost jobs and hospitalisation, which puts strain on the wider NHS.”

  head of policy and influencing, Rethink Mental Illness · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Cost of private psychology soars in UK as practitioners turn away clients ↗

Source references

1. Cost of private psychology soars in UK as practitioners turn away clientstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.rethink.org/aboutus/who-we-are/people-and-governance/
• LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-bernhaut-339656181/

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.