Mental Health

As a leading provider of specialist mental health care, support, and housing services in London and the South East, we deliver a range of services across the mental health care pathway.

Our approach

Partnership is at the heart of our approach. We work with local authorities and NHS trusts to develop bespoke and innovative services that support people with mental health needs to live more independent lives in the community, leave hospital sooner or avoid admission altogether. Equally important is our commitment to co-producing care with our customers, ensuring that each person has a say over how they are supported and feels empowered and in control of their lives as they move forward.

34

mental health services

5

specialist crisis and hospital step-down services

1000

people with mental health needs we support

"I thought I’d be stuck in hospital for the rest of my life, but everything has gotten so much better since I came here"

Sandeep

Customer

Our Services

We run a wide variety of bespoke, person-centred mental health services, including accommodation and non-accommodation-based offers. We have developed these in collaboration with local government, NHS trusts and other valued partners.

Our services include:

Our crisis house and hospital step-down services offer alternatives to acute hospital admission or an opportunity to leave the hospital sooner for individuals experiencing a crisis or relapse in their mental health.

Delivered in partnership with clinical teams, they provide 24-hour short-term, intensive support, providing a credible community-based alternative to inpatient care. We currently deliver crisis houses in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge in partnership with the East and North East London NHS Foundation Trusts (ELFT and NELFT respectively).

Look Ahead has developed England’s first neighbourhood mental health centre, the Barnsley Street Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre, in partnership with the East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) and Tower Hamlets Mental Health Alliance.

The service is available for anyone known to local GP and mental health services, with no referrals needed for drop-in appointments. The site also has six guest beds for overnight stays, with Look Ahead staff present 24/7 to support both drop-in visitors and those staying overnight.

Our rehabilitation services provide supported accommodation, clinical input, and therapeutic support to people leaving hospital. These services help bridge the gap from inpatient, secure, or care settings to living independently in their own homes. Our support staff work alongside clinicians to support individuals at every stage of their rehabilitation and recovery.

We understand the particular needs of young people with experience of mental health crises. Our Oaklands and St Kilda’s services in Ealing supports young people transitioning from adolescent to adult support, offering a specialist community rehab supported living service. The service supports individuals with managing mental health symptoms, medication, daily living activities, and education, training, and employment.

We deliver forensic step-down services for individuals with high mental health needs and forensic histories who may be leaving secure or forensic care settings. Our expert teams provide 24-hour accommodation-based support in partnership with clinical teams and statutory agencies.

Our medication support teams provide one-to-one support to people in their own homes, helping them develop the skills to manage their own medication needs. Our teams visit daily to deliver, observe, or administer medication, working closely with clinical teams to adjust support as needed.

Our supported housing services include accommodation-based and floating support services. These services offer different levels of support, from intensive 24-hour supported housing to medium and low-level support. Our floating support services help people manage and maintain their tenancies and stay well, active, and meaningfully involved in their community.