A mental health pilot programme in Tower Hamlets has demonstrated a significant reduction in hospital admissions, according to a report presented at the Newham Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Commission. The Barnsley Street Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre pilot saw a 45% drop in new admissions within the pilot's Primary Care Network (PCN) between January and September year-on-year.
The Tower Hamlets pilot offers a walk-in community mental health facilit[y]
which is one of six English pilots offering different interpretations of the 'Trieste' model of walk-in community mental health facilities. The 'Trieste' model is believed to have greatly reduced the need for acute beds within that region of Italy.
Key features of the Barnsley Street pilot include:
- Open Access: The facility is open to patients registered with the one primary care network covered by the pilot. GPs can refer instantly, but those seeking support can equally walk in off the street.
- Alternative to Hospitalisation: The Barnsley Street site has replaced the pre-existing Community Mental Health support for the Primary Care Network (PCN) and presents as an alternative to hospitalisation with six beds available for overnight respite.
- Community-Focused Environment: The site's colours have been chosen to look like a community space rather than a medical setting, offering amenities usually absent from facilities used by those in mental health crisis.
- Partnership Working: The pilot is overseen by the Tower Hamlets Mental Health Partnership Board, comprising various key community stakeholders, which is essential to trust-building and partnership working.
The Community Mental Health Pilot Committee Visit Report noted that the facility deliberately offers amenities usually absent from facilities used by those in mental health crisis owing to perceived risk, and that the site aims to create a calm, welcoming environment which is believed to have lowered aggression experienced in typical inpatient settings.
Other performance impacts to date include a 23% reduction in length of stay compared to acute wards.
Key takeaways and reflections from staff include that the support is not restricted to those who are actively in crisis, and that the Pilot has been co-produced from the outset of working on the NHS bid.
Challenges and risks include that short-term pilot funding currently runs to April 2026, and that workforce stability is difficult given the current short-term nature of the pilot.
Lessons for Newham to consider, include to start small (one PCN or neighbourhood) to learn and iterate before scaling, to put third sector in true partnership across governance and budgets from day one, and to fund and protect a small number of short-stay community beds to avoid admissions to wards where a community option would be better suited.
The ELFTBarnsleyStPilot report stated that the Barnsley Street Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre held a launch event on Thursday 17 July 2025, and that the Tower Hamlets service was the first out of the six pilots across England to open. The report also noted that Newham is developing plans to align current Community mental health services (CMHTs) along the agreed Newham system Neighbourhood lines (North East, North West, South East and South West).
