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We were delighted to welcome Richard Meddings, Chair of NHS England, to the Partnership on Tuesday 30 July. His visit was an opportunity to showcase some of the exceptional work we are doing as we prepare to become the new North London NHS Foundation Trust on 1 October.

Leading the visit were our Chair, Lena Samuels, CEO, Jinjer Kandola MBE, and Chief Operating Officer, Jess Lievesley. Richard was accompanied by Kathryn Lang, Mental Health Senior Policy Advisor at NHS England.

The tour began at St Ann’s Hospital in Haringey, home to our Blossom Court inpatient facilities, widely regarded as some of the best within the NHS. They comprise three wards which have been accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists Combined Committee for Accreditation (CCA), for meeting rigorous criteria around care and environment.  On hand were staff members who described to Richard Meddings the process involved in meeting the required standards which took months of meticulous work and planning. 

This was followed by a visit to our Crisis Hub, the nerve-centre for three vital phone lines: our Crisis Line, the Section 136 advice line, and the new NHS 111 mental health option. The group discussed the demand on the system overall and how the hub is working to address this and help reduce A&E attendances by providing advice and support to people in mental health crisis. Richard Meddings was keen to learn how the Section 136 line, in particular, is helping police forces reduce detentions, recognising the hub’s crucial role in providing expert insight and help reduce inequalities. 

In the afternoon, the group then visited our inpatient facilities at Chase Farm in Enfield, where we highlighted the need for estate improvements, with our ambition to modernise all our key sites in the long-term. Richard Meddings acknowledged the significant positive impact that the modern environment at St Ann’s, which opened in 2020, had in comparison to the older facilities at Chase Farm. 

He commented: “It was brilliant to visit St Ann’s and Chase Farm Hospitals today during my visit to the North London Mental Health Partnership. It was great to talk with staff about how they find their working environments and the current pressures they are dealing with.  It was interesting to see the differences in the old and new estates, which highlighted the case for continuing to improve the estate and emphasised the impact of a good environment upon service users and staff.”

This was a great opportunity to demonstrate to NHS England’s leadership the fantastic work we are doing.