Mental Health Awareness Week 2025: Putting mental health services at the heart of our communities
Community Mental Health Services make up 95% of the care our Trust provides in South West London. That means, of the 40,000 people we support every year, for the vast majority their care happens at home or in a community setting.
We know that empowering people to manage symptoms or recover in the community, closer to their support networks, can make all the difference. To support our patients on this journey we provide a range of services including Integrated Recovery Hubs, Talking Therapies, Employment Support, Recovery Cafes and courses through our Recovery College.
This Mental Health Awareness Week we took the opportunity to meet some of our amazing staff providing a range of professional support within the community through our Integrated Recovery Hubs.
What is an Integrated Recovery Hub?
In recent years we have transformed Adult Community Mental Health Services across South West London to support more people live well and stay well in their communities, closer to their friends and families.
Between 2021 and 2024 we collaborated with local partners in Sutton, Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth to create Integrated Recovery Hubs. These hubs offer a wider range of therapies and treatments, physical health care, peer and carer support and advice and support with housing, employment, finances and social welfare.
This ensures easier access to a wider range of support and means that the help we provide outside hospitals goes further by supporting wellbeing and social needs.
Learn more about our hubs here
Meet our teams
Rebecca, Clinical Psychologist, Richmond Integrated Recovery Hub
“In our hubs we have a wide range of people with different professional expertise supporting people in our community. Whether it’s occupational therapist, nurses, psychologists, mental health practitioners, psychiatrists, peer support workers, or colleagues providing other forms of social, and financial help through Third Sector partners, together we can develop wrap-around support bespoke to every individual’s needs.”
“Working closely together to offer joined-up support means that people don’t need to tell their story again and again to different people across different organisations. And with the help of our Peer Support Workers we bring the lens of lived experience to the care we provide, which can be crucial to making sure the therapies and interventions we recommend really make a difference.”
Kyra, Recovery Support Worker, Wimbledon Integrated Recovery Hub
“My job is about going out and about in the community – so seeing in people at home, in coffee shops, parks – and helping them to identify and achieve their recovery goals. That could be anything from learning how to cook, to establishing an exercise routine, or being able to leave the house and meet friends and family.
“Psychoeducation – helping people to understand and manage emotions – is also be a really important part of this. So that could be through activities like journaling, or simply seeking out social support from friends and family.”
“It’s a real privilege to be able to see people learn and grow and achieve their goals and knowing I can play a small part in that journey.”
Hossain, Consultant Psychiatrist, Mitcham Integrated Recovery Hub
“We often talk in our hubs about having a ‘no wrong door’ policy. By changing the way we work in the last couple of years we’ve been better able to bring different kinds of support together to make it easier for people to access all the help they might need in one place.
“It’s really important too that people struggling with their mental health are able to access ‘step-down’ help. This means making support accessible in the community when people are feeling better and need less intensive support – we really don’t want our patients going back into hospital, or reaching a point of crisis and going to A&E. The aim is to ensure people can recover and thrive back in the community. ”
“We also want people to access support from us early on as soon as they start feeling unwell. That’s why campaigns like Mental Health Awareness Week are crucial to the work we do – we need a ‘whole society’ approach where we are all empowered to understand mental ill health, recognise common signs and symptoms, and seek support, just as we do for our physical health.”
Isabella, Senior Mental Health Practitioner, Merton Primary Care Network
“My role is about acting as a bridge between our Integrated Recovery Hubs and GPs and Primary Care services. Working in this joined-up way means that we can close any gaps when patients move between different parts of the NHS and ensure they continue to receive the mental health support they need in their community, through their local GP practice.”
“I also provide an extra layer of support guiding patients through any referral processes - whether that’s finding support through our hubs, courses and support available in the community through the voluntary and community organisations or self-help tools and resources.
“As a central, approachable point of contact Mental Health Practitioners, working alongside GPs, can also help provide continuity of care, understanding someone’s story and their history, and giving consistent and compassionate support.”
Find out more about the transformation of our community mental health services: https://swlstg.nhs.uk/better-care
