Dr Sarah HughesSector leader

Biography

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.

References

1. 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. 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. 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. 4.Dr Sarah Hughes | Comic Relief — Confirms title, organisation, career history and board roles
5. 5.Dr Sarah Hughes | Durham University Medical Humanities Advisory Board

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
• Mental health

Stated areas of expertise

• Mental health funding and NHS investment
• Mental Health Act reform
• Mental health equity and anti-racism
• Community mental health services
• Criminal justice and mental health
• Mental health workforce and sector sustainability

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 they’ve said

• “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.”

Source references

1. I realise now that my view on mental health overdiagnosis was divisive. We all need better evidence | Wes Streetingtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. ‘Alarming rise’ in mental health stigma in England, research showstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
3. Mind launches inquiry into AI and mental health after Guardian investigationtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
4. ‘A new normal’: inquiry’s key findings on how Covid changed UK societytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

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.