Mental health A&E unit in west London says patients seen within 15 minutes

A specialist emergency mental health unit at St Charles Hospital in Ladbroke Grove offers a calmer alternative to A&E and reports that patients are seen within 15 minutes.

A specialist emergency mental health unit at St Charles Hospital in Ladbroke Grove is presented as a calmer alternative to hospital A&E departments. The centre is designed to reduce noise and waiting, and staff report patients are seen quickly by specialists. It includes lounges, bedrooms and a kitchen, and visits from emotional support animals are part of the offer. The unit was among the first of its kind and similar centres have been opened elsewhere in England. Key facts: - Location and purpose: The centre at St Charles Hospital in Ladbroke Grove is a specialist emergency mental health unit intended to be a calmer alternative to A&E. - Reported waiting times and assessment timeline: Staff say patients are seen by a specialist gatekeeper within 15 minutes, by a physical health worker within 30 minutes, and receive a full mental health assessment and care plan within an hour. - Environment and support: The facility includes sofas, bedrooms, a kitchen and lounge, offers hot drinks, and has regular visits from emotional support animals including dogs and chickens. - Access and services: The unit is open around the clock, accepts referrals and walk-ins, and specialist staff can provide treatment and prescribe medication. - Activity and outcomes: Central and North West NHS Foundation Trust says the unit has seen more than 2,000 patients, that about 90% of those seen in crisis there do not get admitted, and that there are now around a dozen similar emergency mental health centres across England. - Costs and policy context: The trust reports the unit costs £3.2m a year; Minister for Mental Health Baroness Merron said the government has invested £26m in new crisis centres and is proposing reforms to the Mental Health Act. Summary: The centre aims to offer quicker, quieter specialist assessment and reports reductions in admissions and eased pressure on A&E services. The trust says the model has allowed some reinvestment into local services and that running costs are offset by savings from reduced overspill care. The government has announced funding for additional crisis centres and proposed reforms to mental health legislation as part of broader changes to services.