Time to Change (mental health anti-stigma campaign)

Time to Change (mental health anti-stigma campaign)
Name	Time to Change
Type	Charity campaign
Founded	2007
Dissolved	2016 (campaign phase); 2019 (programme closure)
Headquarters	London
Region	England

Time to Change (mental health anti-stigma campaign) was a prominent English anti-stigma and discrimination campaign addressing public attitudes toward mental health conditions. Founded as a joint initiative bringing together charities, public bodies and prominent individuals, the campaign mobilised media, healthcare settings and workplaces to change behaviour and social responses to conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Time to Change coordinated national advertising, celebrity endorsements and peer-led projects to shift opinion among the general public, employers and service providers.

Background and founding

Time to Change was launched in 2007 as a collaboration between Mind and Rethink Mental Illness with seed funding from the Department of Health and grants from trusts and foundations. The initiative built on antecedent work by organisations including Samaritans, Royal College of Psychiatrists, NHS England, YoungMinds and Mind regional networks. Founders and early supporters included figures from the arts and media such as Stephen Fry, Jo Brand, David Tennant and Gavin & Stacey cast members, bringing prominence alongside clinical stakeholders like NHS Confederation and professional bodies including the British Medical Association and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

Campaign goals and strategies

Time to Change set measurable objectives to reduce stigma and discrimination by targeting public attitudes, employer practices and contact between the public and people with lived experience. Strategic partners included Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, House of Commons select committees and national broadcasters such as the BBC. Campaign strategies encompassed mass-media advertising on platforms like Channel 4, digital outreach via Facebook, Twitter and celebrity-backed content with participants such as Lenny Henry, Sinead O'Connor, Imelda Staunton and Benedict Cumberbatch. Evidence-informed approaches drew on contact-based interventions promoted by researchers at institutions like University College London, King's College London, London School of Economics, University of Oxford and University of Manchester.

Programs and initiatives

Programmatic work included the nationwide Time to Change Champions volunteer network, school-focused projects aligned with curricula from Department for Education guidance, workplace schemes modelled with partners like PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Barclays and Tesco, and targeted campaigns in communities with groups such as Stonewall, Minority Rights Group International, Refugee Council and Citizens Advice. Initiatives also partnered with cultural institutions including the British Museum, National Theatre, Royal Opera House and music festivals such as Glastonbury Festival. Research collaborations involved Centre for Mental Health, King's Fund and universities including University of Birmingham and University of Sheffield. High-profile public education materials used spokespeople from England national football team circles, entertainers from Coronation Street and presenters from Channel 4 News.

Impact and evaluation

Independent evaluations were conducted by academic teams at University College London, University of Warwick and policy bodies like Public Health England. Reports measured changes in public stigma metrics, employer practice, and help-seeking behaviours using survey instruments developed with partners such as the Office for National Statistics and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Findings indicated measurable reductions in reported discriminatory attitudes in some demographic segments and increased disclosure in workplaces partnered with Mind training. Longitudinal analyses referenced methods used in studies at University of Cambridge, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and University of Glasgow.

Funding and governance

Funding streams combined grants from national foundations like the Big Lottery Fund, philanthropic donors, corporate sponsorship from firms including Sainsbury's, HSBC, and public sector contributions from Department of Health and Social Care. Governance structures featured trustees drawn from Charity Commission for England and Wales guidance and board representation from Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, with advisory input from academics at King's College London and service-user leaders affiliated to Lived Experience Led networks and regional NHS Trusts such as South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Criticism and controversies

Critiques addressed the campaign's reliance on celebrity voices and corporate partners, with commentators citing debates similar to those in coverage of Comic Relief and Sport Relief. Some academics questioned the scalability of contact-based approaches in rural areas like Cornwall and Cumbria and noted uneven impacts across age cohorts, echoing concerns raised in evaluations by Joseph Rowntree Foundation and think tanks such as Institute for Public Policy Research and Centre for Policy Studies. Disputes also arose over allocation of resources between advocacy, service delivery and research priorities, paralleling tensions seen in discussions involving National Survivor User Network and MindOut.

Legacy and successor activities

After the core campaign phase ended, legacy work continued through successor activities run by Mind, Rethink Mental Illness and networks of former Champions, linking into national programmes led by Public Health England and local initiatives in cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Bristol. Materials and methods influenced later anti-stigma efforts in organisations such as NHS England, Health Education England and grassroots projects like Time to Talk Day partners and community mental health enterprises. Internationally, the model informed anti-stigma campaigns in countries with collaborations involving World Health Organization, academic centres at Harvard University, Yale University and service-user movements coordinated with Global Mental Health networks.

Category:Mental health in the United Kingdom Category:Charities based in London