Deputy Mayor, Councillor Jit Ranabhat cuts ribbon of Greenwich Mental Health Hub Today, 10 October, marks World Mental Health Day – a day to raise awareness of mental health.

 As more and more of us are aware of mental health, it’s important to know who we can turn to when we need support. There couldn’t be a more fitting day to welcome a new mental health service to the Royal Borough of Greenwich: the Greenwich Mental Health Hub.

The Hub is being developed in partnership between BLG Mind, Oxleas NHS and Bridge Support as part of a long-term NHS Plan to transform mental health services, making it easier than ever for local people to access support close to home so they can thrive in their lives and community. This is all made possible thanks to SE London ICB who provide the funding for the hub.

The welcoming team (Pictured below) is made up of mental health professionals, peer support workers and other specialists. The team understand that for many people with mental health problems, there is a complicated combination of factors that could potentially result in a period of poor mental health.

All partners work together to provide specialist services such as: housing advice, debt and employment advice, substance misuse support, community activities, and peer support.

To celebrate this milestone, the Deputy Mayor, Jib Ranabhat, was welcomed into the hub’s brand new Plumstead Office space to learn more about the hub and the impact it will have on local people.

Jit Ranabhat was excited about this much-needed support in his ward of Plumstead and Glyndon:

"It's so important that services like our new Greenwich Mental Health are available within our communities for residents to easily access when they are in need of mental health support, especially given the pressures our NHS, accident and emergency departments currently faces. I'm thrilled to officially open the Greenwich Hub, the more flexible support we can offer in the community, the better. Congratulations to Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich Mind, Oxleas NHS and Bridge Support for working together to make this happen."

David, who was referred to the hub earlier this year, explains what’s so different about this new service:

"My peer support worker was like no one else I’d ever spoken to – I could tell that he really understood me. Meeting Robin in person was a real turning point for me – it made me not want to sink, to keep my head above the water, because there was someone that truly cared. It was very different to any other service I’d had – his advice was personalised. I knew he was genuinely listening to me."

The Greenwich Mental Health Hub encourages service users to take part ownership of their recovery plans. This approach gave David the confidence to continue, breaking down his recovery into personal and achievable goals:

"It’s like when you hear about people having an awful traffic car accident and they have to learn to walk again – I’m rebuilding myself mentally, building those strongholds. Robin taught me to take small steps and take it day by day."

Without the help that David received from Greenwich Mental Health Hub, he wouldn’t be here today. David said, " I can’t put a price on the help I received. I would have died by suicide. I couldn’t have coped. This service saved my life."

About Greenwich Mental Health Hub

The Greenwich Mental Health Hub provides responsive, flexible, dynamic, and integrated services that support independence and reablement for service users. Funded by SE London ICB, as part of the NHS long-term plan to transform the way mental health care is delivered, the Hub provides a range of specialists who together help people manage their mental health, address the things they are struggling with and take positive steps in their own lives.