‘Everyone in Norway should feel confident about their health. People with mental health or substance use problems should know that they will receive high-quality healthcare when they need it. The Labour government is continuing to increase investment in mental health,’ said Minister of Health and Care Services Jan Christian Vestre.

More support for easily accessible services

In its proposed National Budget for 2027, the government proposes increasing funding for a grant scheme to establish and develop evidence-based, easily accessible services by NOK 60 million. In addition, NOK 80 million of the increase in municipalities’ unrestricted revenue is linked to mental health services. So far during the period covered by the Escalation Plan for Mental Health, the government has increased funding for municipal mental health services by a total of NOK 500 million.

‘Easily accessible municipal services are important because they ensure that people receive appropriate help at an early stage. The sooner we can provide help, the better, for both the individual and society. Alongside the expansion of inpatient services for the most seriously ill patients, this is an important priority for 2027,’ said Vestre.

Better mental healthcare and substance use treatment

The government proposes allocating NOK 70 million to increase inpatient capacity in mental healthcare. This includes establishing inpatient services for children and young people with substance use problems and for people with eating disorders.

There are currently few specialist treatment services for children and young people with substance use problems, unlike the services available to adults. The government will therefore begin developing such provision within child and adolescent mental health services (BUP) and proposes allocating NOK 50 million for this purpose in 2027.

The government also intends to allocate NOK 20 million to tailored exercise programmes for people with severe mental illnesses and substance use problems. People in this group have a substantially shorter life expectancy than the general population. The measure forms part of the action plan Better healthcare – more healthy years (in Norwegian).

‘People struggling with substance use and severe mental illnesses, such as eating disorders, should know that the community will support them and provide high-quality healthcare. The government is therefore prioritising more support for these patients through several measures in next year’s budget,’ said Vestre.

Better support – more people in work

The government proposes allocating NOK 20 million to enable more municipalities to adopt models for cooperation between health services and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (Nav). These models are intended for people with mild to moderate mental health conditions, and potentially also musculoskeletal conditions, who need both employment support and treatment to remain in work.

The government also proposes an additional NOK 10 million for follow-up measures delivered directly by Nav. This will enable wider use of Individuell jobbstøtte (Individual Placement and Support), helping more people with mental health and substance use problems enter paid employment.

‘The government is working to improve public health so that we can reduce social inequalities and help people enjoy a better quality of life. The community must also support those at risk of permanent exclusion from the labour market. We are strengthening the support available to them because we need everyone who can work to do so,’ said Vestre.

New Centre for Mental Health in Trondheim

In its proposed National Budget, the government supports the establishment of a Centre for Mental Health in Trondheim. The centre will help improve mental health services in Central Norway.Delivering on the Escalation Plan for Mental Health
Mental health problems and disorders are among our greatest public health challenges. They contribute to a substantial burden of ill health, poorer quality of life and social exclusion. Suicide rates are also far too high.

The proposal delivers on the government’s commitment under the Escalation Plan for Mental Health. The plan is a ten-year commitment to increase annual mental health funding by NOK 3 billion. The government presented the plan in 2023, and its implementation is one of the priorities in the government’s Plan for Norway.‘We have pledged to increase the annual budget for mental health and substance use services by NOK 3 billion over ten years. We are delivering on that pledge and will continue our investment next year. Halfway through the period, we have increased annual mental health funding by approximately NOK 1.5 billion,’ said Vestre.