The City & Hackney Integrated Mental Health and Substance Use (CHIMES) pilot is a jointly delivered model between East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) and Turning Point, designed to meet the needs of people living with severe mental illness alongside harmful or dependent substance use.
Built on principles of accessibility, collaboration, trauma-informed practice, and recovery-oriented care, CHIMES aims to support individuals with complex presentations, fluctuating engagement, and heightened levels of risk.
Recent analysis by Simon Young, Principal Public Health Specialist at Hackney Council, shows that between March 2022 and January 2025 there was a 9% increase in adults accessing substance use treatment (from 2,014 to 2,202 people). The data also highlights a significant unmet need: 37% of people in treatment with co-existing mental health needs are not receiving adequate mental health support, compared with 18% nationally.
To address this gap, CHIMES provides an integrated model in which ELFT mental health clinicians are co-located three days a week at Turning Point, 102–110 Mare Street, London E8 3SG, working alongside substance use practitioners. The team also provides in-reach to mental health wards, community mental health teams, and partner organisations. The service operates Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm, with flexibility to support people attending Turning Point outside core hours. The team comprises a part-time service lead and two registered mental health nurses.
Mental health services and partner organisations can make referrals to Turning Point through the existing referral routes (via the two email addresses: cityandhackney@turning-point.co.uk or turningpoint.city-hackney@nhs.net) where referrals will be triaged and allocated to the pilot where appropriate.
The start of the new service follows on from a launch event held in October at ELFT’s headquarters, introducing the vision, aims and principles of the pilot and exploring how stakeholders can help shape its success.
Lucy Harrison, who is the Service Lead, said: “I am very excited to be getting this project off the ground. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication from colleagues across the Trust, as well as our partners at City & Hackney Public Health and Turning Point to get to where we are today.
“This programme will help us support some of the most vulnerable people in our community through a truly joined-up approach.”