The government has launched a ten-year strategy for improving Britain's mental health, amid concern its vision lacks an "action plan".

Jobcentre Plus districts will each have new mental health coordinators, advice line pilots will be set up to help small businesses and an extension of the Access to Work programme are envisaged under the strategy.

The Department of Health is hailing today's announcements as a radical overhaul to support people with mental health conditions, even as it seeks to justify already-high spending on this area.

"Life-threatening conditions like cancer or heart disease prompt sympathy and understanding," health secretary Andy Burnham said.  "But mental health is all too often shrouded in mystery, stigma or simply forgotten.  "Good mental health services are a vital part of a modern, preventative and  people-centred National Health Service."

The government already spends 13 per cent of its NHS budget on mental health.  Real terms investment in adult mental health services have increased by 44 per cent since 2001/02. Britain's suicide rate has dropped by ten per cent in the last decade.

While praising the new ground broken by today's strategy, mental health charity Mind's chief executive Paul Farmer warned concerns continue to exist about current services, however.  "We now have a new vision for mental health, but we are yet to see an action plan for how the vision will become a reality," he commented.

"While New Horizons aims to improve everyone's wellbeing, it should not draw attention from the fact that in many areas, basic mental health services are still lacking, people are still stuck on waiting lists for crucial treatments and there is a long way to go before everyone can access support as and when they need it."  Poor mental health costs the economy around £35 billion every year. One in six people have a mental health problem.