Developed by East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) in partnership with health and social care charity SIG Penrose, the new service at Kelvin Grove, Rothsay Road, will offer 24-hour, short-stay therapeutic support in a homely, non-clinical environment.
Designed with significant input from people with lived experience of mental ill health, the crisis house aims to provide a "home away from home" where people can receive compassionate, person-centred support during periods of acute distress.
The 11-bedroom facility has been created to help people receive timely care closer to home, supporting recovery while creating additional capacity within the local crisis pathway. By providing intensive community-based support before inpatient admission becomes necessary, the service will help ensure people receive the right care in the most appropriate setting while reducing avoidable pressure on inpatient mental health services.
The opening of Kelvin Grove marks an important milestone in improving urgent and emergency mental health care across Bedfordshire and Luton. It forms part of a wider programme to expand access to community-based support and strengthen local mental health services at a time when demand continues to grow.
Funded through a £1.5 million capital investment from NHS England, Kelvin Grove has been extensively refurbished, bringing a long-vacant property back into use as a modern therapeutic environment. Throughout the project, people with lived experience of mental ill health have worked alongside staff to help shape both the design of the building and the way the service will operate.
Claire McKenna, ELFT Chief Nurse and Lead for Peer Support and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) said:
"The opening of Kelvin Grove is a significant step forward for mental health services in Bedfordshire and Luton. We know that many people experiencing a mental health crisis do not need hospital admission but do need intensive support in a safe and compassionate environment. This new service gives people another option, helping them access the right care, at the right time, in a setting designed to support recovery and independence."
Service user Lisa West-Robinson said:
“From the start, people with lived experience were welcomed and treated as equals throughout the process of creating Kelvin Grove. Alongside sharing ideas of the practical aspects such as colours and layout, we also shared our views of how care can be delivered. We wanted Kelvin Grove to feel like a home rather than a hospital. Encouraging independence and building a relationship with the staff based on trust rather than risk. Kelvin Grove has been designed with service users, for service users. Creating a unique and consistent approach.”
Mark Milton, Chief Executive of Social Interest Group, said:
"Kelvin Grove is a powerful example of what can be achieved when NHS partners, the voluntary sector and people with lived experience come together to design support around what people really need. We are proud to be working in partnership with East London NHS Foundation Trust to deliver this vital service, which will strengthen the local crisis pathway, support better outcomes for people in distress and help reduce pressure on acute inpatient services."
Kelvin Grove will accept referrals for adults aged 18 and over who are experiencing acute mental health distress and would benefit from short-term residential support as an alternative to inpatient admission.
Referrals will be made through ELFT Crisis Pathway Teams, with decisions made within four hours.
By expanding access to high-quality, community-based crisis support, Kelvin Grove will play an important role in strengthening the urgent mental health pathway across Bedfordshire and Luton. The service will help ensure that adults in crisis receive timely, compassionate, and clinically connected support in the most appropriate setting, improving experiences of care while helping to reduce avoidable pressure on inpatient mental health services.
