Visit to Central and North West London Foundation Trust

Today our new chief executive Daniel Elkeles visited the Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, an inspiring and innovative model for urgent mental health care.

Unlike traditional pathways where patients wait in physical health A&Es, at MHCAS treatment begins immediately. That simple shift is delivering faster, more compassionate, and more effective care.

And the impact is a significant reduction in emergency inpatient admissions, to the extent that the trust no longer needs private bed capacity. 

The key to its success:

🔵 No exclusion criteria – they accept detained patients.
🔵 No catchment area restrictions.
🔵 24/7 referrals.
🔵 Overnight stays possible.
🔵 Co-located on a mental health campus with access to other specialties and an on-site UTC for physical health needs.

It's treating around ten people a day, and making a huge difference. 

Daniel said: "It was great to see how this builds on innovations I’ve seen in my previous role at London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, including joint response cars and mental health ambulances – both featured in The Times just last weekend.

"A huge thank you to Sabrina, Lee, Toti and the entire team for such a warm welcome and a fantastic visit."