Maple Ward opens at Springfield Hospital
We are delighted to announce the official opening of Maple Ward at Springfield University Hospital, creating 18 additional adult acute inpatient beds and boosting access to mental health care closer to home for people across South West London. Based in Wandsworth the service will also support people in need of urgent support across Kingston, Richmond, Sutton, and Merton.
The opening comes shortly after funding was announced to support the creation a new Mental Health Emergency Department (MHED). Together, these developments will strengthen urgent and inpatient care pathways, helping more people access the right support at the right time and in the right place.
Boosting inpatient care
The new ward marks a significant milestone in our programme of improvements to inpatient services at Springfield following our £150m investment to create the new Trinity and Shaftesbury Buildings, which opened over 2022-23.
Maple Ward is a short-stay adult acute inpatient ward based in the Trinity Building and is designed to provide rapid assessment and treatment for people experiencing acute mental health needs. The additional capacity will help reduce the need for patients to receive care outside of their local area and support faster access to specialist inpatient services when they are needed most.
Trust Chief Executive, Vanessa Ford MBE, said: "The opening of Maple Ward represents an important investment to deliver better mental health services for our patients, carers and local communities.
"As a short-stay ward, Maple Ward will support more people to get on a road to recovery in the community. By strengthening the pathway between hospital and community services, we can help more people recover closer to their families, friends and support networks, providing a better experience for our patients and carers. We are grateful to everyone involved in making these improvements possible."
Investing in better
The new ward has been designed to provide a welcoming, therapeutic environment that supports recovery and wellbeing. Staff from across the Trust, including clinical and estates teams have been working closely with patients, carers and staff to prepare the ward and ensure patients can benefit from the new service.
The opening of Maple Ward reflects the Trust's ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality, compassionate care and ensuring services are equipped to meet growing demand across south west London.
In the coming years the Trust will also be opening the new Tala Building at Tolworth Hospital in Kingston as part of the site’s £110m redevelopment, delivering five state-of-the-art inpatient wards.
Find out more information about the Trust’s Better Communities and Better Environments Programmes.
