Ten local community organisations to deliver wellbeing activities on our acute mental health wards
South London and Maudsley is announcing the ten successful local community organisations who will be delivering structured therapeutic activities across our acute inpatient wards as part of the VCSE Inreach Project.
The successful organisations are: Amuru, Come out of hiding, Enable, Floating Counselling, Genesis Impact, Key Changes, Knowledge and Practice, Maroon Fitness, Off the Ropes and PTP Usemi.
The VCSE Inreach Project brings local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations into our wards to offer activities that support wellbeing, meaningful engagement and recovery during admission while encouraging people to reconnect with their local communities following discharge.
Hannah Tendler, Trustwide Community Partnerships Officer said: “Thank you to everyone who took the time to apply to be part of this project. The competition was tough, but we’re really pleased with the organisations we have chosen. They are a testament to the aims of this project and truly reflective of the communities we serve. The organisations offer a range of activities including fitness, music and more – all of which were highlighted by our service users as the activity types they find most engaging.
“This project is a powerful one with the ability to improve the experiences of our service users through support from the incredible groups in our area.”
The programme will offer a range of creative, physical and wellbeing-focused sessions, designed in collaboration with ward teams and service users. Activities include:
- Group fitness and movement sessions adapted for wards
- Music-based workshops focusing on expression and enjoyment
- Therapeutic arts and creative writing sessions
These sessions will be delivered over evenings and weekends to introduce structured activities and reduce feelings of isolation and boredom.
The project team are working through onboarding and induction with the selected organisations and will be sharing updates with staff and partners as this moves into delivery. The partners will work alongside our existing ward staff to ensure activities are safe, well-integrated and aligned with ward routines.
Co-funded by Maudsley Charity and NHS England Inpatient Quality Transformation funding, this project will support the ten local groups to delivery activities that meaningfully engage our service users and support with their transition back into the local community.
