News

The Cavendish Square Group (CSG) hosted SEMHIS Conference bringing together mental health professionals, lived experience partners, and system leaders from across London to explore innovative approaches to safety and equality within inpatient mental health care.

This week, the Government published its new 10-Year Plan for the NHS. This plan outlines a strategic shift in how health services are delivered, with a focus on three  shifts in healthcare.

On 27 June 2025, the Cavendish Square Group (CSG) hosted its landmark Digital Conference at the Royal College of Nursing, bringing together senior leaders, clinicians, digital innovators, and policymakers from across London’s mental health sector. Themed “From Analogue to Digital: What Does This Mean for Mental Health Trusts?”, the event marked a pivotal moment in the capital’s journey toward a digitally enabled mental health system.

This week, 12-18 May, is Mental Health Awareness week and this year's theme is all about community. Cavendish Square Group is proud to support and celebrate with our trust members the power and importance of community.  

Anathem — AI for mental health staff, provides AI documentation support for mental health specialist services, including Autism and ADHD diagnosis, medication reviews, and psychiatry paperwork.

The second annual South West London Mental Health Conference will return on Wednesday 14 May 2025.

Congratulations to our trust member, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL), on their new Patient and Carer Involvement Strategy. Since 2019, CNWL’s involvement strategy has led to a huge increase of patients and carers getting involved in shaping services.

A new NHS eating disorder intensive day and virtual service for teenagers has been launched in central Bedfordshire as part of a one-year regional pilot programme.

It's Children's Mental Health week. The theme for 2025 is Know Yourself, Grow Yourself, with the aim to equip and empower children and young people across the UK to embrace self-awareness and explore what it means to them.

The brand new state-of-the-art building has been co-designed by staff, patients, and carers and features safety landscaped outdoor spaces, modern therapy rooms and a greatly improved environment for service users to recover, and staff to work. 

Our trust member is launching first Winter Appeal in South West London. The ‘We Care Christmas Gift’ campaign, will run from 1 November to 25 December.

Our trust member, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Derek Tracy as our new Chief Medical Officer.

Congratulation to Amanda Pithouse, Chair of Chief Officer Nurses group, who has been  appointed as new Chief Nursing Officer at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.
 

South West London and St George’s has partnered with  Phase Space Ltd  to launch an innovative pilot programme that uses specially designed hypnotherapy-based virtual reality (VR) to support patients with psychosis on their journey to recovery.

The public consultation about the future of the NHS has been launched this week. It can't be done without the help of those who use it and work in it. Share your experience and give your views on its future and the 10 Year Health Plan. 

Youth Justice Minister Sir Nicholas Dakin recently visited  Oasis Restore, the first secure school in the country, to meet staff and children. He embarked on a tour of the site and met with members of the health, education and residential team

Brigid is a companion app of SystmOne, the NHS’ patient record system, which gives clinicians the ability to record patient information using a tablet. In real time, staff can record mental health observations, document vital signs observations and generate NEWS2 scores – a vital tool for identifying and responding to early signs of patient deterioration.  

The Cavendish Square Group – the collaboration of all of the NHS Mental Health Trusts in London – welcomes the Independent investigation of the National Health Service in England review.

Today, 10 September, is World Suicide Prevention Day. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented.

The suffering of the people of Southport, and others touched by the violence there, is hard to imagine. This will have taken a toll on many people, both those touched by the tragic deaths of the young children, and those staff who helped treat and support the victims and families.  

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust welcomes Ashton Ntuli as the new Chief Operating Officer. Ashton takes over from Jen Allan, who will be moving on from her role after four years to become the Executive Director of Operations for South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust this autumn. We thank Jen again for her fantastic contribution to our Trust and the people we serve.

The three community and mental health NHS trusts in north west London have established a new Board-in-Common to improve services for the communities they serve.

On Tuesday 9 June, we held our summer Cavendish Square Group (CSG) conference at Prospero House, London. The conference, which was attended by over 100 professionals, focused on the future of mental health services, the NHS Long Term Plan Commitments and the CSG priorities for the next few years.

During Carers Week 2024, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) launched their first Carers Charter.

This charter was developed with unpaid carers and patients, and outlines our commitment to carers across the Trust and how we will recognise, involve and support them in their caring role.

Congratulations to Lorraine Sunduza OBE, who has become the Chief Executive Officer for East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT).

The Young Person’s Sanctuary is now open at Milton Keynes CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services), to provide crisis services for young people in need of mental health support.

Pregnant women and new parents in west London who are struggling with their mental health are able to use a free 24/7 text support service.

It's Mental Health Awareness Week 13 - 19 May 2024, and the theme for this year is "Movement: Moving More for Our Mental Health".

Senior staff and team members identified a lack of confidence in certain key areas of their work during their regular supervision sessions, team meetings, and handovers.

Senior NHS, local politicians and community groups came together in November to commit to addressing the biggest challenges impacting the mental health and wellbeing of local communities in south east London.

A point-of-care testing device which enables clinicians to perform rapid and convenient testing of clozapine levels is being piloted at South West London and St George’s.

Arsenal Academy Manager, Per Mertesacker, joined staff and service users in Islington to celebrate the opening of North London Mental Health Partnership’s (NLMHP) new, state-of-the-art integrated community mental health centre.

Findings from a study conducted at five NHS trusts including South London and Maudsley and led by researchers at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King’s College London, and conducted have identified four key themes relating to the implementation and ethical use of body worn cameras in mental healthcare settings. 

Central and North West London (CNWL) and West London NHS Trusts (WLT) joined together to form a North West London Perinatal Mental Health Provider Collaborative from 1 April 2024.

The NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Service (London), focuses on delivering the best possible care, advice and support for those needing help with their gender identity and the feelings it causes. 

If you are experiencing something that makes you feel unsafe, distressed, or worried about your mental health, you can now contact our 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line team by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option.

Researchers at the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Mental Health lead one of the largest reviews of peer support in mental health

Bedfordshire and Luton mental health services have celebrated becoming the first inpatient unit to achieve service user-led accreditation for all their wards.

This month we were delighted to bring together almost 90 nurses from across all ten London mental health trusts for a learning event and a day of sharing best practice in patient safety.

Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) is hosted by BEAT and runs from 26 February to 3 March 2024. An eating disorder is a mental illness that can impact on an individual’s day-to-day life.

Our trust member, South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, has today announced the start of a major programme of regeneration at the Barnes Hospital site in South West London.

Tackling racism has always been our priority and we are delighted that our trust member, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, signed anti-racism charter.

Today is Mental Health Nurses Day! A big thank you to all of our nurses. This is an annual celebration and opportunity for us to recognise the incredible difference our mental health nurses make to the lives of the people and communities we serve.

Congratulations to our Trust member on launching Adult Autism Diagnostic Service. The service is open to adults living in Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon who may benefit from understanding if their experiences are consistent with autism. 

Our trust member has appointed three patient safety partners (PSPs), as part of NHS England’s national plan to improve patient safety across healthcare in the country.

Laverne Antrobus, Consultant Child and Educational Psychologist at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has been interviewed for a news story in the Independent, on communicating with toddlers during difficult times.

Clinical researchers at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust have collaborated to model how many patients might receive new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, currently under review.

Our trust member  has today announced additional free mental health training slots for local residents. Funded by NHS Charities Together in partnership with Mental Health First Aid England, the latest dates build on the successful initial launch in which 61 residents were trained.

Exciting news - GP's in Barnet and Haringey now offer Mental Health Walk-in Clinics for children and young people. It's vital that we ensure everyone knows about this valuable resource.

This week is Children's Mental Health Week and the theme for this year is My Voice Matters.

As part of the collaboration between three key providers of community health services across Mid and South Essex (MSE), the virtual wards programme has seen some great outcomes for service users over the last year.

We are proud of our trust member, North London Mental Health Partnership, for launching their Youth Board. This dynamic and passionate group of young individuals is set to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of mental health support for the next generation.

Young Black men face unequal access to mental health support. They are more likely to experience inpatient admissions, more likely to experience restrictive practice and less likely to be offered therapies.

Congratulations to our trust member, Oxleas, for winning the prestigious Health Service Journal Trust of the Year award.

DIALOG+ is a care planning framework that enables healthcare professionals to have supportive and meaningful conversations

Trust CAMHS services feature in BBC3 documentary ‘The Fight For Young Lives’ presented by Roman Kemp.

Our trust member, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, is celebrating the success of the employment support services.

The multimillion-pound transformation of Springfield University Hospital in South West London concluded this month as the new Shaftesbury building opened to patients and service users.

The South London Mental Health and Community Partnership (SLP) has launched a new Perinatal Provider Collaborative.

Our trust member, South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, has launched of a free new mental health training programme for local residents.

It is World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2023. The theme for this year is "Mental health is a universal human right." The purpose of this theme is to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone's mental health as a universal human right,

In September, West London Tri-Borough Perinatal Mental Health Team showcased a collection of short films titled "Mother Tongue, Motherhood, and Mental Health.

A new web tool has been designed by researchers at King's College London and the University of Oxford to simplify the prescription of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs in a move that they hope will empower patients to have a more active role in choosing the medication that they take.

The London Care Record brings together your health and care information into a single digital view.

NHS South West London has announced the launch ofs new Mental Health Strategy for everyone who lives, works or studies in South West London.

Our trust member, North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT), has appointed four new Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) to their board following a robust recruitment process.

Since the NHS was founded on 5 July 1948, it has always innovated and adapted to meet to needs of each generation. 75 years on, the NHS’s founding principles remain as relevant today as they were then. Despite the challenges, the public still overwhelmingly support having a national health service, and it is what makes people most proud of our country. As we mark 75 years of the NHS, it is a time to celebrate our past, but more importantly, a time to think about a future where we continue to put patients first. We want to take this opportunity to thank all NHS staff and volunteers, past and present, who have made the organisation what it is.

The Prince of Wales has launched a new homelessness project alongside The Royal Foundation at an event in Lambeth, south London.

Our tust partner, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, is now offering offering an impressive 21^st Century Leadership Programme nationally to NHS Trusts for the first time. A programme designed by psychologists, for psychologists.

The health and wellbeing of Londoners is the top priority for members of the Cavendish Square Group, a collaboration of the ten NHS trusts that provide mental health services in the capital.

A smartphone app which supports people with mental health conditions to manage their medication and keep a diary of their health and wellbeing has launched at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.

This year's Mental Health Awareness Week (15 to 21 May) theme is Anxiety.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems people can face. In a recent mental health survey by MentalHealth.org carried out around stress and anxiety, a quarter of adults said they felt so anxious that it stopped them from doing the things they want to do some or all of the time.

Our trust member, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, has been accredited as a "Veteran Aware" NHS trust because of the support it offers to veterans and their families, both among service users and staff.

Congratulations to our trust member South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust on joining King’s International Consortium.

April is Stress Awareness Month and the North East London Foundation Trust is raising awareness of 5 steps people can take to improve mental health and wellbeing.

The North East London Foundation Trust and the University of East London have launched an innovative partnership to help students in healthcare professions gain valuable experience in entry level NHS jobs.

We're seeking a highly motivated Programme Manager to join our team. This is a high-profile role for someone looking to take their career to the next level and work directly with London's leading NHS Chief Executives.

Our trust memeber is working in partnership to deliver a two-year crisis recovery house pilot starting in 2023. One of the pilots will include a crisis recovery house for young people – the first of its kind. 

The UK’s first mental health crisis “café” for children and young people has launched in west London to help relieve pressure on the capital’s stretched A&E departments.

Great Mental Health Day 2023 is celebrating the power of community kindness and telling the story of how we’ve come together for one another across London.

Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services are being renamed as NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression, following a public consultation with close to 4,000 responses and a series of focus groups led by an independent research group.

South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust has this month announced the completion of a multimillion pound mental health facility at Springfield Hospital in Wandsworth.

Today is World Mental Health Day, with the theme “Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority”.

Vital mental health campaign launched amid more than 50% increase in mental disorders among children and young people.

Young people and clinicians are backing a new, London-wide mental health campaign aimed at ensuring children and young adults get the help they need before reaching crisis point.

Thousands of new mental health experts will be on hand to support people in their local GP practice amid record demand for services.

We are excited to announce the relaunch of our website with a new look, updated content, and improved functionality. 

Following several years of locally led development, recommendations of NHS England and NHS Improvement and Royal Assent of the Health and Care Act (2022), 42 Integrated Care System (ICS) will be established across England on a statutory basis on 1 July 2022. 

South London Listens has launched its second community survey to find out how the mental health and wellbeing of south Londoners has changed over the last year.

David Bradley, Chief Executive of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has been appointed Chair of the Cavendish Square Group. David will succeed Paul Jenkins, Chief of Executive of The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in the role.  

There would be fewer mental health crises if priority was given to earlier diagnosis and treatment. For example, the main complication of the chronic condition generalised anxiety disorder is substance misuse. 

New research published in BJPsych Open on 8 March 2022, shows that the impact of COVID-19 among older service users (65 and over) and those with dementia in NHS psychiatric wards was reduced during the second wave of the pandemic when compared to the first.

This week is a Mental Health Awareness Week. It will run from Monday 9 May until Sunday 15 May 2022. We will be talking about the experience of loneliness, its effect on our mental health and how we can all play a part in reducing loneliness in our communities.