Sussex's First Mental Health Emergency Department Set To Open Next Summer

Sussex is set to get its first dedicated mental health emergency department, with a new 24-hour service planned to open at Eastbourne District General Hospital next summer.

The facility, subject to final funding approval from NHS England, will provide specialist support for people experiencing a mental health crisis, offering an alternative to attending a busy A&E department.

The service will be delivered jointly by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and support provider Southdown, building on the existing Staying Well walk-in services in Brighton, Crawley, Eastbourne, Hastings and Worthing.

More than 8,000 people accessed Staying Well services across Sussex between June 2025 and May 2026, highlighting growing demand for mental health support.

Work on the new department is expected to begin later this year, with the existing mental health services at the Department of Psychiatry relocating to the new Combe Valley Hospital in Bexhill-on-Sea.

The Eastbourne unit is one of three planned mental health emergency departments for Sussex, with future facilities also earmarked for Brighton's Royal Sussex County Hospital and either Chichester or Worthing.

Dr Oliver Dale, Chief Medical Officer at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said the new department would provide a calmer, more therapeutic environment where people in crisis can receive specialist care without the pressures often associated with emergency departments.

NHS England has also approved plans for three new community mental health centres across Sussex, which are expected to open in 2028.