Dr Sarah Hughes: key facts
- Kind of voice
- Sector leader
- Role
- Chief Executive
- Organisation based in
- Stratford and Bow
- Quoted on
- Mental health, Adult social care & reform, Learning disability & autism, Assisted dying, Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
- Tracked press citations
- 15
- Most recently quoted
- 9 Oct 2026
- First quoted
- 27 Aug 2026
Who Dr Sarah Hughes is
Dr Sarah Hughes CBE is Chief Executive of Mind, the mental health charity in England and Wales, a post she has held since January 2023. She has more than 35 years' experience in mental health and social justice, having previously served as Chief Executive of the Centre for Mental Health and of Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and South Lincolnshire (CPSL) Mind. She initially trained as a social worker and went on to manage services in communities, residential care and Holloway Prison, where she led the research and evaluation of the pioneering First Night in Custody project. She is a regular media commentator who argues that mental health services are chronically underfunded relative to clinical need, and she campaigns for same-day open access to mental health support. In 2026 she was appointed CBE in the King's Birthday Honours for services to mental health and civil society.
“Because being a CEO is worrying. We are responsible for people getting their jobs done. We're often responsible for lives.”
References for this biography
- 1.Spokespeople for current mental health issues | Mind — Confirms Dr Sarah Hughes is Mind's CEO and lead spokesperson; describes her background and media role
- 2.Mind mental health charity appoints new CEO | Civil Society — Confirms appointment as CEO from January 2023, prior role at Centre for Mental Health, and background as a social worker
- 3.King's Birthday Honours list pays tribute to charity leaders and fundraisers | Charity Times — Confirms CBE awarded in 2026 for services to mental health and civil society
- 4.Dr Sarah Hughes | Comic Relief — Confirms title, organisation, career history and board roles
- 5.Dr Sarah Hughes | Durham University Medical Humanities Advisory Board — Confirms CEO role at Mind, prior roles, First Night in Custody project, and doctoral study at Tavistock and Portman Centre
- 6."Mental health services are being set up to fail" | Mind — Press statement evidencing Hughes's public advocacy on NHS mental health underfunding
- 7.MIND (THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH) – Charity Commission — Confirms registered head office address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ
- 8.Meet the Mind media team | Mind — Confirms organisational press contact details: media@mind.org.uk and 020 8522 1743
Notable achievements
- Appointed CBE in the King's Birthday Honours 2026 for services to mental health and civil society. Source ↗
- Led research and evaluation of the pioneering First Night in Custody project in Holloway Prison, which saw its principles rolled out across the prison estate supported by the Cabinet Office. Source ↗
- Appointed Chief Executive of Mind in January 2023, succeeding Paul Farmer after leading the Centre for Mental Health for approximately six years. Source ↗
- Publicly called out the fall in the proportion of NHS spending going to mental health despite record numbers contacting the NHS for support. Source ↗
What Dr Sarah Hughes has said
“The Fonagy Review echoes what we've seen across our services for years. Increased need for support is not due to a 'snowflake generation' or a case of overdiagnosis. Young people are crying out for help with their mental health because of genuine life challenges, and it's time to listen.”
Chief Executive of Mind · Mental health · 9 Oct 2026 · Mind responds to the findings of the Fonagy review ↗
“While greater support for young people looking to get back into work is vital, any changes to benefits must take into account the day-to-day living costs that people face – and the impact any cuts will have on them being able to meet them.”
CEO of Mind · Adult social care & reform · 5 Oct 2026 · Disability benefits could be cut for young people under new Burnham plan ↗
“This is a huge opportunity to really understand what is driving increasing levels of mental illness, especially among our young people. More people need help than services can see, people's mental health deteriorates while they wait, and when people do get access to support it is not always appropriate to their needs.”
Chief Executive of Mind · Learning disability & autism · 30 Sept 2026 · Review launched into mental health, ADHD and autism services ↗
“Many young people with mental health problems tell us that they'd love to work but can't find the right support or opportunities in order to do so. If delivered in a genuinely supportive way, this offer could be life changing for a young person struggling with their mental health.”
CEO of Mind · Learning disability & autism · 30 Sept 2026 · Thousands of young disabled people to be offered guaranteed jobs ↗
“Mind simply cannot support the Bill in its current form”
senior representative from Mind · Assisted dying · 30 Sept 2026 · Assisted suicide is a national tragedy in the making ↗
“It is an honour for me to attend and speak at the National Muslim Mental Health Summit. The Muslim community is remarkably resilient, and despite the external challenges it faces, it has once again taken the reins of the mental health crisis head-on. However, as politics moves further to the right, Muslims are often unfairly targeted and blamed for society's problems. We are very aware that racism contributes to poor mental health and also limits access to timely, appropriate care.”
CEO of Mind mental health charity · Mental health · 30 Sept 2026 · Muslim Council of Britain Hosts Landmark Mental Health Summit & Annual General Meeting ↗
“For many years thousands of people have campaigned for the outdated Mental Health Act to be reformed. We're pleased to see that today we finally have a reformed Act.”
Chief Executive of Mind · Mental health · 30 Sept 2026 · Mental Health Bill receives royal assent ↗
“We, as a charity sector, have failed to acknowledge that violence does happen in some circumstances. As a sector, [we] have held the narrative that the majority of people don't commit violent crime. However, some do and the consequences are grave.”
Chief Executive Officer of Mind · Mental health · 29 Sept 2026 · Mental health groups have ‘failed to acknowledge’ risk of violence, says Mind chief ↗
“We are delighted that Audley Health Centre is now home to this innovative community cancer hub. Centres like this will complement hospital treatment and can help make life better for people dealing with cancer.”
Managing director of West Midlands Cancer Alliance · Adult social care & reform · 8 Sept 2026 · NHS and homecare firm launch novel SACT clinic in West Midlands ↗
“The racial inequalities in mental health crisis care are longstanding but the fact they are worsening is a shocking indictment of the UK government. Mental health services are failing Black people.”
chief executive of Mind · Mental health · 8 Sept 2026 · 'Shameful' rise in racial disparities under Mental Health Act ↗
“This is a huge opportunity to really understand what is driving increasing levels of mental illness, especially among our young people.”
Chief Executive of Mind · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · I realise now that my view on mental health overdiagnosis was divisive. We all need better evidence | Wes Streeting ↗
“The rise in stigma is alarming. We have seen a change in language, people telling us their family's attitudes are changing, as well as increasing narratives around benefit claimants and some very difficult and terrible instances of violence linked to mental illness – it feels like a lot of things have come home to roost.”
chief executive of Mind · Mental health · 27 Aug 2026 · ‘Alarming rise’ in mental health stigma in England, research shows ↗
“We believe AI has enormous potential to improve the lives of people with mental health problems, widen access to support, and strengthen public services. But that potential will only be realised if it is developed and deployed responsibly, with safeguards proportionate to the risks.”
chief executive officer of Mind · Mental health · 27 Aug 2026 · Mind launches inquiry into AI and mental health after Guardian investigation ↗
“One of the most astonishing factors we saw, especially with children and young people, was the impact of the rolling news, the constant noise about what was happening, that sense of crisis and emergency. Every time there was an announcement by a minister, all of the helplines would experience a significant spike in contact with people who were deeply anxious.”
CEO of Mind · Mental health · 27 Aug 2026 · ‘A new normal’: inquiry’s key findings on how Covid changed UK society ↗
Recent social activity
Where Dr Sarah Hughes has been quoted
- Be aware of how your anxiety could affect your organisation, charity leaders warnedthirdsector.co.uk · 9 Oct 2026
- Mind responds to the findings of the Fonagy reviewmind.org.uk · 9 Oct 2026
- Disability benefits could be cut for young people under new Burnham planmylondon.news · 5 Oct 2026
- Review launched into mental health, ADHD and autism servicesgov.uk · 30 Sept 2026
- Thousands of young disabled people to be offered guaranteed jobsgov.uk · 30 Sept 2026
- Assisted suicide is a national tragedy in the makingthecritic.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
- Muslim Council of Britain Hosts Landmark Mental Health Summit & Annual General Meetingmcb.org.uk · 30 Sept 2026
- Mental Health Bill receives royal assentmind.org.uk · 30 Sept 2026
- Mental health groups have ‘failed to acknowledge’ risk of violence, says Mind chieftheguardian.com · 29 Sept 2026
- NHS and homecare firm launch novel SACT clinic in West Midlandsnursingtimes.net · 8 Sept 2026
- 'Shameful' rise in racial disparities under Mental Health Actcommunitycare.co.uk · 8 Sept 2026
- I realise now that my view on mental health overdiagnosis was divisive. We all need better evidence | Wes Streetingtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
- ‘Alarming rise’ in mental health stigma in England, research showstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
- Mind launches inquiry into AI and mental health after Guardian investigationtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
- ‘A new normal’: inquiry’s key findings on how Covid changed UK societytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
Related media coverage
Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.
- Norwich City teams up with The Royal Foundation to support suicide preventionNorwich City Football Club
- One Year On: How The Royal Foundation is strengthening suicide prevention support in the UKRoyal Foundation
- Licensable picture: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosted its annual Out of the Darkness Walk on Oct. 10 in Staunton's Gypsy HillReuters Connect
Contact & links
- Staff pagehttps://www.mind.org.uk/media-centre/spokespeople/
- Press office emailmedia@mind.org.ukpublished here ↗
- Press office phone020 8522 1743published here ↗
- Xhttps://x.com/_Sarah_Hughes_
- LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhughesceo/
Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.
Chief executives, directors and spokespeople of trade bodies, representative associations and charities speaking for the sector. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. This profile was last updated on 9 Oct 2026. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.