The Trust is transforming Kelvin Grove, on Rothsay Road, into a mental health crisis house, thanks to £1.5m funding from NHS England and approval from Bedford Borough Council. The service is expected to open in spring 2026.
About the Crisis House
Capacity: 11 ensuite bedrooms
Purpose: short-term therapeutic care for adults (18+) in mental health crisis
Operating hours: 24/7, staffed by experienced care professionals
Goal: Provide urgent support in a calm, homely setting, reducing pressure on A&E and inpatient mental health wards.
The crisis house will deliver person-centred, trauma-informed care and help prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. It is being developed in partnership with people with lived experience, ensuring the service meets real community needs.
Kelvin Grove has a long history of supporting mental health services but has been unused since 2023. Renovation work began in December 2025, to restore the building and gardens.
“Kelvin Grove will be a major new asset for local NHS mental health services,” said Richard Fradgley, ELFT Executive Director of Integrated Care and Deputy Chief Executive.
“It will provide a safe, therapeutic alternative to hospital admission, ease system pressures, improve outcomes for local people, and breathe new life into a prominent property in the town.”
The service will be delivered jointly by ELFT and SIG Penrose, a health and social care charity.
Additional investment in mental health beds
In partnership with NHS England, ELFT is also investing more than £1m to create nine new sensory-friendly bedrooms at its Luton Centre for Mental Health (Calnwood Court, on the Luton & Dunstable University Hospital site) and Oakley Court in Luton. These rooms will open early this year, expanding inpatient capacity and ensuring more people can access care closer to home.
All new bedrooms will be designed to support people with learning disabilities, autism, and sensory needs, including a dedicated sensory-friendly annexe within Coral ward.