At the Association of Mental Health Providers, Victoria Buyer worked alongside CEO Kathy Roberts MBE, supporting the Association’s work to strengthen the voice, evidence base and sustainability of voluntary and community organisations delivering mental health services.

As the national trade body for mental health charities, the Association represents 300+ organisations across England and Wales, delivering more than 3,000 services and collectively generating over £5 billion in annual turnover.

Victoria helped drive major programmes to strengthen the evidence base around mental health social care provision, access and workforce capacity. Working with Esri and ArcGIS technology, she supported the development of the Association’s interactive mapping projects, combining CQC and member data to expose geographical inequalities in mental health provision and access.

Mental Health Sector Mapping

This was complemented by Mental Health Workforce Mapping, combining workforce-to-population analysis with ONS Census demographic data to build a richer picture of workforce capacity, local demand and inequality. Latterly, Victoria expanded this evidence programme through the development of the AMHP Data Observatory, a large language model enabled environment bringing together policy, research and national, regional and local datasets. Designed to provide trusted intelligence, the Observatory aims to strengthen transparency, collaboration and evidence led decision making with the NHS, VCFSE sector, academia and local and national government.

Mental Health Workforce Mapping

Victoria also developed practical guidance translating provider experience into policy and commissioning solutions. This included Developing Positive Engagement between Commissioners and the VCSE Provider Sector, which set out ways to build stronger, more sustainable relationships between commissioners and community providers.  In 2024 she began examining the financial pressures facing mental health charities and the importance of effective reserves strategies in sustaining services, working alongside the Association trustees Jane Hughes and Sarah Maguire, they published the Reserves briefing paper.

Positive Engagement between Commissioners and the VCSE Sector

Reserves Briefing Paper

Victoria supported the development of the Association’s #MHEqualityNow campaign, highlighting growing pressures on community mental health services and strengthening the case for sustainable investment.

The campaign brought this evidence together to press for greater recognition and sustainable funding for mental health charities and their essential contribution across health, social care, housing, employment and criminal justice.

#MHEqualityNow campaign launch

Victoria also led the Business Development Network, bringing together members including Choice Support, Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, Together for Mental Wellbeing, Mental Health Matters, Waythrough and Turning Point to share intelligence and respond collectively to emerging commissioning, workforce and funding challenges.

Her work connected mental health, social care, policy and provider sustainability, including supporting the sector’s consideration of employment reform and the Fair Pay Agreement agenda.

Across the Associations’ projects, Victoria helped connect data, provider expertise and policy influence, strengthening the mental health social care sector’s evidence base and its collective voice with commissioners and policymakers.

Key themes: Mental health social care | Sector influence | Data & evidence | Commissioning | Workforce | Financial sustainability | Business development | Strategic partnerships