Children and young people’s services in Kingston and Richmond
Message sent on behalf of:
- Jo Farrar, NHS lead for Kingston and Richmond
- Ian Dodds, Director of Children’s Services, Achieving for Children
- Vanessa Ford, CEO of South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust
We would like to provide a further update on the planned changes to children and young people’s mental health services in Kingston and Richmond. As you will recall, this work follows an independent review of local provision, along with feedback from children, young people, and families. The review highlighted that while both existing providers - South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust (SWLStG) and Achieving for Children (AfC) - are delivering valuable care, moving to a single provider model across both Tier 2 and Tier 3 services would help create a more seamless and co-ordinated experience for families.
In line with this recommendation, it is anticipated that the formal transfer of services to SWLStG will happen on 1 November 2025. Since our last update, significant progress has been made and we wanted to share the following key updates:
- To oversee the change, a dedicated steering group continues to meet monthly. The group includes representatives from provider organisations, education, primary care, contracting, finance, communications and engagement, public health, parent/carer groups, and the voluntary sector.
- A formal process of staff consultation has been completed, and we are working on plans to support the transition of staff (via TUPE) from AfC to SWLStG.
- Estates planning work is underway to firm up space for the services within SWLSTG’s existing estate, including Woodroofe House (Tolworth), Livingstone House (Teddington), Springfield University Hospital (Tooting) and therapy rooms at Moor Lane (Kingston).
- IT solutions are being developed to ensure the safe and effective transfer of data between providers, supporting safe continuity of care.
- SWLStG and AfC will soon begin communicating with patients and families, particularly regarding new referrals and management of waiting lists.
We are absolutely committed to this important work, which aligns with the recently published NHS ten year plan, and positions CAMHS as a top priority. We are focused on our ambition to deliver meaningful improvements to the experience of children, young people, and families, and this change has been discussed recently at the People Committee in Kingston and the Education and Children’s Committee in Richmond.
We will continue to keep you informed as this programme develops.
Jo, Ian and Vanessa
