New Mental Health Crisis Services launching in south east London | Press releases

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the national mental health charity Richmond Fellowship have launched two Crisis Recovery Houses which will offer new community-based crisis support for people living in the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Croydon.

The two organisations are working in partnership to deliver a two-year crisis recovery house pilot starting in 2023. One of the pilots will include a crisis recovery house for young people – the first of its kind. 

The houses will deliver 24/7 community-based crisis response as an alternative to acute inpatient admission. People referred to the service work on a one-to-one basis with highly trained teams to develop collaborative support plans and coping mechanisms to better manage their mental health following their stay. The houses offer hotel quality accommodation within the community where guests have the freedom to manage their own schedule, cook for themselves and access the community as they would were they in their own home.

They will be the tenth and eleventh Crisis Recovery Houses for Richmond Fellowship, who have pioneered this approach to mental health crisis support since 2005.  The Crisis Recovery House for young people is a new model, working with CAMHS teams to support young people aged 16 and up. 

Leaders from the two organisations came together recently for a ground-breaking ceremony at the Lewisham site, which will open officially later in 2023.  

Derek Caren, Chief Executive of Richmond Fellowship said: “These crisis services will ensure that people in crisis are accessing the right service at the right time, as well as providing an alternative to those presenting themselves A&E in crisis.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with South London and Maudsley - bringing together our experience in Crisis Services with their clinical expertise and sector leading approach to meeting the needs of their communities.”

 David Bradley, Chief Executive of South London and Maudsley said: “We are really pleased to be working with the Richmond Fellowship to develop new crisis recovery houses for young people. These are the first of their kind and a big step forward in improving the services that we provide to young people experiencing a mental health crisis.”

 Rod Booth, Director of Performance and Contracts at South London and Maudsley said: “We are proud of our partnership which will enable us to provide a community asset that will deliver person-centered care for individuals and their carers during a crisis. The crisis house model delivers recovery-focused support to avoid escalation, build resilience, develop strategies, and achieve long term, sustainable outcomes for individuals who access this pathway. The Centre for Mental Health is also supporting an independent evaluation of the service model in year one, so we can learn from staff (including peer support workers), service users and carers in how to deliver the best care possible.”

James Lowell, Chief Operating Office at South London and Maudsley, added “This is a hugely valuable service which will support young people who are experiencing mental health problems or a period of personal crisis. Early intervention and prevention is a priority and working together to provide the right support will help us to provide more effective care, designed to meet the needs of our communities.”