NELFT has announced plans to develop three new 24/7 Community Mental Health Hubs, giving residents safe spaces to receive crisis support closer to home. 

The new hubs will be developed in Waltham Forest and Barking and Dagenham, with both expected to open in 2028. A third hub is planned for Redbridge, with completion expected in 2030.

Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the hubs will provide local residents with timely access to mental health support in community settings, offering a safe and welcoming space as an alternative to busy emergency departments. 

These Hubs will also support working with the person to offer real time support to remain in the community rather than being admitted to hospital where appropriate.

The announcement comes as Calvin Bailey MP for Leyton and Wanstead visited NELFT's existing 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Assessment Hub at Goodmayes Hospital to see how community-based crisis services are supporting people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Calvin Bailey MP said:

"I've seen first-hand the difference community-based support can make to people in crisis, and it was valuable to visit NELFT's Crisis Assessment Hub at Goodmayes, which serves residents across north east London including my own constituents in Leyton and Wanstead.

“More investment in mental health services across the region is so welcome, but as these services expand we need the highest standards of safety and accountability to be maintained."

The developments form part of NELFT's wider programme to strengthen neighbourhood mental health services. The trust is also working with Barts Health NHS Trust to develop a dedicated Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service at Whipps Cross Hospital, creating a more appropriate environment for people experiencing a mental health crisis and helping more people access specialist support without attending A&E. 

Alongside these developments, NELFT is investing in a new enhanced care space at Goodmayes Hospital for children and young people with complex mental health needs, providing a safer and more therapeutic environment for recovery.

Brid Johnson, Chief Operating Officer at NELFT, said:

"Our new 24/7 Community Mental Health Hubs will provide people with a real alternative to hospital admission with timely and effective support closer to home.

“Over the past 18 months, we have opened several community mental health services and have already seen the positive difference they are making to people's recovery, wellbeing and experience of care. These new hubs will build on that success, helping more people access the right support at the right time in their local community."

Since 2025, NELFT has opened a number of community mental health services, including Well House, a crisis house in Redbridge; the 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Assessment Hub at Goodmayes Hospital; and the Redbridge Recovery Hub and Waltham Forest Beacon, both of which provide free drop-in mental health support.

St George's Health and Wellbeing Hub in Havering opened in 2024, offering residents a one-stop shop for health and community services, including mental health support, and is recognised as a national blueprint for neighbourhood health services.

The programme follows the Government's recent announcement of £343 million of investment in mental health facilities across England, supporting efforts to improve access to community-based mental health care and crisis support.