Sustainability

Opening Springfield Park: At Springfield Village, the Mayor of London formally opened our new 32-acre public park with patients, carers, local members of the communities and schools. Springfield Village is a new type of mental health environment that is integrating into a wider community helping to reduce stigma and support wellbeing. The Village now includes modern hospital facilities alongside homes, shops and a 32-acre public park, creating a welcoming and inclusive space for patients, staff and local people. Our Trust Charity continued to run Mental Health First Aid training open to local residents and the community.

Working with communities to improve mental health: Through our work with South London Listens, we are supporting communities to improve mental health and wellbeing. The Be Well programme now includes more than 100 community organisations, supporting around 5,000 people each month through local, culturally appropriate services. These community-led initiatives help people access support earlier, reduce isolation and build stronger connections within communities. This work is helping to reduce pressure on NHS services while improving access and addressing inequalities.

Creating new environments: Towards the end of the year, Richmond CAMHS were preparing to move into the newly refurbished Richmond Royal Wellbeing Centre at the former Richmond Royal Hospital site.  The £2 million redevelopment has created a brighter, more welcoming environment for children, young people and families, supporting a better experience of care. The move forms part of the Trust’s Better Environments Programme, which has also seen progress made with Tolworth Hospital and Barnes Hospital during 2025 -2026. Creating inclusive spaces through arts and culture: Across the Trust, including at Richmond peer support art groups, Sutton Integrated Recovery Hub (IRH) and our Recovery College at Springfield, we supported exhibitions and creative programmes led by patients. These initiatives help people build confidence, connect with others and support recovery, while promoting inclusion and reducing stigma. They also provide opportunities for people to share their experiences and feel valued within their communities.

Community SPARK Fund: Following the park opening, over 50 projects and ideas were submitted for the first round of Springfield Spark funding, set up to help local organisations and groups make the most of the new park at Springfield Village. Following an evaluation process, 11 projects including a number of art and culture, and sport and leisure activities have been identified to take forward throughout 2026. 

Mental Health Conference: May was World Mental Health Week and the theme was ‘community’. During the week we held the second South West London Mental Health conference. Over 120 patients, carers, members of the community, partners and staff attended the conference which was focused on the key themes of the Mental Health Strategy: partnership working across prevention, health inequalities and children and young people. Each of the main and breakout sessions had the voices of people with lived experience at their centre, with people sharing stories and experiences throughout the day. The diversity of our communities was reflected in the event’s speakers, session leaders and attendees. The 2026 conference focused on reducing health inequality.