Trust leaders showcase progress on 24/7 Centre at Heather Close to Council CEO and stakeholders
Building works are on track and progressing well at Heather Close — the future home of Lewisham’s new 24/7 Community Mental Health Centre, and programme leaders were pleased to be able to showcase the site recently to Jennifer Daothong, Chief Executive of Lewisham Council.
Also joining the visit were the Head of Evaluation, the Business Development Director, and the Executive Director for Growth and Commercial from the charity and housing association LookAhead which provides care, support, and accommodation services across 32 local authorities in London and the South East.
The group toured the construction site before visiting the adjacent Recovery House, which provides 24/7 crisis care for people supported by the Centre and offers vital support to individuals across neighbouring boroughs.
Kate Lillywhite, Chief Strategy Officer for South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It is fantastic to see our vision for the 24/7 Centre at Heather Close becoming a reality and it is exciting for myself and colleagues to share this progress in person with some of our key stakeholders.
“We were very grateful to the staff and residents of our Recovery House, managed by our voluntary sector partner Waythrough, who kindly welcomed visitors and to Yusuf and his team for showing their outstanding facilities to our visitors. The calm, supportive environment they provide is a vital safe space for people at their most vulnerable and is fundamental to our commitment to offer round-the-clock care and accessible support when it is needed most.
“Co-production and partnership — including with service users, carers, and local voluntary and community organisations, sit at the heart of this programme. As co-members of the Lewisham Mental Health Alliance, we want to thank Lewisham Council’s elected members and officers for their ongoing support, insight and active involvement in our work. Together, we are creating innovative, meaningful and lasting change in mental health care for the communities we serve.”
Currently based at Southbrook Road in Lee, the Lewisham 24/7 Community Mental Health Centre, is one of six pilot sites funded by NHS England as part of a national programme exploring more responsive, effective and accessible models of community mental health care. The Centre is expected to move to Heather Close in Hither Green in Spring 2026.
Find out more about the Lewisham 24/7 Community Mental Health Centre, our current work and future plans here.
Caption: Jennifer Daothong, CEO of Lewisham Council (right), visiting the Recovery House with representatives of the charity LookAhead as part of her site tour of the planned Lewisham 24/7 Mental Health Centre at Heather Close, due to open in Spring 2026. The visit was led by South London & Maudsley’s Chief Strategy Officer, Kate Lillywhite, Lesa Bartlett, Operational Lead for the 24/7 Centre, and Yusuf Momoh Simpar, Manager, Recovery House, which is operated by SLaM’s voluntary sector partner, Waythrough.
