Transforming mental health care in Lewisham — together
Introducing the 24/7 Lewisham Community Mental Health Centre
Last autumn , NHS England selected Lewisham as one of just six sites in the country to trial a new -style 24/7 community mental health centre . Our centre is supporting people in north central Lewisham through their community mental health team, testing a bold new approach to care right in the heart of the borough.
Our core principles
Our core principles
In developing the model for our 24/7 Community Mental Health Centre, we have been guided by some core principles:
- Trusting relationships
- Continuity of care
- Neighbourhood-based services
- Co-production with those with lived experience
- Freedom, choice, and inclusion for all
We are committed to delivering more responsive, inclusive, and person-centred care - bringing together NHS services, local charities and community organisations. The model of care we are developing with our partners will influence how we improve services for people across Lewisham – and beyond into other communities where we provide service s, including Lambeth and Southwark.
Relationships at the heart of our approach
The importance of trusted relationships sits at the heart of our approach. This means the foundation of the care we offer, starts with human connection and we will work to build trust, stay consistent, and offer meaningful support across all we do.
Our goal is to deliver a 24/7 neighbourhood-based service – a centre in the community where people can walk in for advice, support and treatment in one place, when they need it. A place they feel safe, respected and valued, which aims to meet their range of needs as a citizen – not just those relating to their mental health.
About the Lewisham Community Mental Health Centre Model
A new approach to mental health care
The development of our new mental health centre model, and its services and support are being shaped and informed through extensive and ongoing engagement with a wide variety of stakeholders including, service users and their carers, our staff, clinicians, and community partners.
Our approach is guided by:
- The insights and wisdom of people with lived experience
- Collaboration with local community partners, to help ensure our services and support are culturally relevant and reflect the needs of our diverse borough — especially our local Black communities
- Clinical expertise , strengthened by lessons learned from previous work we have done to improve our community services
- Proven, evidence-based best practice nationally and internationally
What makes it different
The new model of care we’re developing has some key features which make it different and better, to what we have done before:
- Local: Our mental health centre is located in the community, so care is closer to where people live . This means they can get the help they need more easily, when they need it
- Easy access: Once the centre opens, we’ll be able to offer longer opening hours: 8am to 8pm on weekdays, plus opening hours at the weekend. Our goal is to open 8am – 8pm for seven days a week, as soon as we can.
- 24/7 support: We’re already offering daily access to support for those in crisis, without the need for a referral. This includes 24/7 overnight care, if that’s needed.
- Joined up: Our centre will offer better joined - up care – with professionals from health and care services located together and working alongside local charities and voluntary organisations, to deliver support that values people and respects them for who they are.
- Individual: Our mental health care is designed together with service users and carers, by staff who are committed to building trusted relationships and supporting people to do what matters to them.
- Ongoing: Mental health can be a lifelong journey, so we’re using a Membership approach for our Centre and developing a diverse Day Programme with our community partners to support the whole needs of our service users from health and wellbeing to employment, housing and debt advice.
Who the Centre is for
The centre is aimed at those who use our community mental health service s in North Central Lewisham, and who are registered with a GP in the following neighbourhoods. These areas were chosen for this trial because they have some of the highest mental health needs in the borough:
- Brockley
- Blackheath
- Catford
- Central Lewisham
- Crofton Park
- Hither Green
- Ladywell
- Lee
Our location and facilities
Heather Close – Opening 2026: The Lewisham 24/7 Community Mental Health Centre will move into its permanent home at Heather Close in Hither Green in Spring 2026.
We have provided mental health services from here for many years, but the building the Centre will use is currently being refurbished to accommodate the expanded team and new facilities.
Temporary home opening October 2025: While we wait for the building work to finish at Heather Close, the Lewisham mental health centre team is moving into a temporary home at our Southbrook Road building in October, for around 7 months. Although this building can’taccommodate every service we have planned, it will enable us to step up the support we give to our community.
What we’re offering at Southbrook Road:
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Our mental health professionals will be able to work together under one roof
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We can introduce longer hours - with services running 7 days a week for the first time
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A bigger team and longer opening hours will mean more appointments available on site and in the community
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Launch of a new day programme of activities, advice and opportunities, co designed with staff and service users & carers, and provided by local voluntary and community organisations. (This programme will be offered nearby on a separate site, until we move to Heather Close.)
How we’re funded
We are very grateful to all our funding partners who are significantly investing in the development of th e Lewisham Mental Health Centre and new model of care, including:
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£5 million from NHS England over two years
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c. £2 million from Maudsley Charity for refurbishment works at Heather Close
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£600k from NHS South East London Integrated Care Board
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South London and Maudsley NHS Trust has recently announced a major investment in a new partnership with local voluntary and community partners, which will also support the work of the 24/7 Lewisham Mental Health Centre.
Improving mental health services for all
The trial of a new model of care is aimed at one neighbourhood in Lewisham, but our vision and ambitions are much bigger and longer-term. We plan to use what we learn from this project to continually improve our mental health care for everyone in Lewisham and hopefully beyond.
But we don’t want to wait until the end of the pilot before reaping the benefits of certain key changes we already know work. So, we have started to put some of this learning into practice for all our service users and their carers through the Lewisham Community Development Plan. You can find more about this work here.
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