Mental Health Provider Reassures Users Amid Concerns Over Service Changes In Brighton

A mental health services provider has assured users it will continue to play an “important role” in supporting people in need, following concerns over changes to services in Brighton.

Southdown, which operates the Preston Park Wellbeing Hub, made the comments after service users presented a petition to Brighton and Hove City Council raising concerns about potential cuts.

The changes come as NHS Sussex reorganises following a merger with Surrey Heartlands ICB.

Southdown’s chief operating officer, Matt Gough, said there were no plans to reduce services to just six hours a week, as suggested in the petition and at a full council meeting on Thursday 26 March.

He said:

“Southdown has redesigned its community mental health services in Brighton and Hove so that more people can access support when they need it.

“The Preston Park Wellbeing Hub will continue to play an important role in supporting people’s mental health.

“Our crisis service, Staying Well, will continue to operate from the site seven evenings a week.”

He added that a range of activities and groups would continue four days a week, with opportunities for both existing and new users.

Southdown said the changes form part of a wider national shift towards neighbourhood-based mental health support, with closer links between NHS and voluntary sector services.

The aim, the organisation says, is to create wellbeing hubs offering a broader mix of support and to open up group sessions to more people who may previously have been unable to access them.

Mr Gough added:

“We know how important the Preston Park Wellbeing Hub is to people who use it. It’s a place where people feel safe, connected and supported.

“At the same time, we are seeing more and more people in Brighton and Hove who need mental health support but can’t currently access it.

“This redesign is about using the funding and resources we have in a more effective way so we can continue supporting people who already rely on our services while also reaching others who need help.”

A transition period is in place from April until the end of June to help current users adjust and explore the new support available.

Southdown confirmed that its Staying Well service – a walk-in offering for over-18s in distress or needing urgent support – will run Monday to Friday from 5pm to 10.30pm and at weekends from 3pm to 10.30pm.

Activities will include peer support groups, creative sessions, holistic activities and opportunities for social connection.

However, the organisation said it would introduce more time-limited group sessions, reducing the number of ongoing activities without fixed durations.

It says this will allow more people to access support throughout the year, while existing users can still attend a regular social space from Tuesday to Friday.

Southdown also confirmed that a transition period for service users will continue until Tuesday 30 June.

One Wellbeing Hub client who took part in a protest outside Hove Town Hall said the petition wording was now out of date, as some services had been reinstated since concerns were first raised.

However, they said the main issue remained the reduction in daytime preventative psychosocial support.

The campaigner said:

“The Wellbeing Hub in its format we are trying to protect is the preventative daytime service.

“Southdown upper management presented this as ‘exciting changes’ when in fact it is a ‘devastating loss’ to us clients who use the daytime service.”

Councillors have agreed to ask the council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider an immediate pause to the changes. The committee is due to meet on Wednesday 22 April.

Anyone needing urgent mental health support can call NHS 111 and select the mental health option, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, text SUSSEX to 85258, visit a Staying Well service, or download the Stay Alive app.