Barnsley Street Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre

Anyone registered at any of the following five GP practices and living within the GP’s catchment area:

• Bethnal Green Health Centre
• The Mission Practice
• Sutton’s Wharf Health Centre
• Strouts Place Medical Centre
• XX Place Health Centre

If you don’t have a permanent address, this is not a problem if you’re registered with one of the above GPs.

If you’re not registered with a GP or your GP is based outside of Tower Hamlets, you can access Barnsley Street if your nearest GP is one of the above. You can check which one this is by entering your postcode into the NHS website

If you’re unsure, please get in touch anyway – we can help you to find your local community mental health service. 

• Specialist mental health care: assessments, reviews and medication support from psychiatry, mental health nurses, and pharmacy
• Crisis support, and short-term stays in a guest bed
• Peer support from people with lived experience, speaking a variety of community languages, belonging to a diverse range of ethnic and cultural groups, identifying with a variety of characteristics including being Disabled
• Support work: bridge between clinical interventions and the social influences on mental health, including general practical and emotional support
• Occupational therapy: assessments, drop-in sessions, and groups
• Psychology: drop-in sessions, groups, and long-term one-to-one therapy for people experiencing bipolar and psychosis
• Social work: care assessments, reviews, and referrals for personal health budgets
• Employment support, including steps to build confidence and work towards employment such as support with CV writing, accessing volunteering opportunities and others
• Carers support
• Welfare benefits and housing advice
• A broad range of activity groups
• Co-production opportunities and community engagement events, to collaborate with staff on the design and delivery of Barnsley Street and continue its development and improvement

Mind THNR provides peer support to Barnsley Street clients, runs community engagement events, and leads on co-production at Barnsley Street, supporting collaboration between staff, service users and carers to ensure the local community can shape and influence the mental health support provided.

Our guest beds are here for people who need a short period of extra support while their mental health feels less steady.

You might use a guest bed if your wellbeing is starting to deteriorate and you would benefit from a brief stay in a supportive environment. They can also be helpful if you’re transitioning back into the community after an inpatient admission and want some time to adjust.

To make sure a guest stay is the right option, we agree a plan collaboratively with you and the wider team. This helps us ensure the space remains safe, appropriate, and supportive for everyone.

This service began as an idea shared by people who noticed a gap in support for those needing a safe, calm space during times of change or increasing distress, instead of being moved from team to team. Over the last couple of years, we worked closely with individuals with lived experience, carers and families, staff teams, and different organisations to shape what the service should offer.

With dedicated funding, we have been able to bring the vision to life building a service that reflects the needs, voices, and hopes of the community it serves. It continues to be shaped and developed as we become more embedded in the community we serve.

Barnsley Street is one of six sites that are piloting this new  neighbourhood mental health model with the support of NHS England. We’re doing our best to show that this model is better for the community, and hope that it will become standard and permanent.

A core part of demonstrating this is through co-production. Your experiences, feedback, and involvement help us show what works, what needs improvement, and why this way of working matters. By sharing your views and getting involved, you play an important role in shaping the future of the service.

But even if the pilot and associated funding weren’t to continue, the NHS has a duty to provide mental health support to each community, and you’ll continue having access to support from ELFT mental health services, whatever happens.

The Alliance is a group of local voluntary sector, faith and community organisations working together to improve mental health in Tower Hamlets. At Barnsley Street, the Alliance provides mental health support and staff training. Mind THNR is one of the support providers, and working alongside us we have:

Asian People’s Disability Alliance (APDA)
Culturally sensitive mental health and peer support for Asian Disabled people.

Carers Centre Tower Hamlets
Support for people caring informally for loved ones with mental health challenges.

Working Well Trust
Employment support for individuals with mental health challenges.

Women’s Inclusive Team (WIT)
Providing mental health support to Black and ethnic minority communities, with specialist support for women and people experiencing domestic abuse.

Social Action for Health (SAFH)
Improving health and wellbeing for East London communities. As part of Barnsley Street, they run Wellbeing Wednesdays at Brady Arts Centre. This is an exercise and social group for men, provided in English with Bengali language support.

In May 2025, the community mental health team based in Three Colts Lane expanded its offer. Some staff moved to Barnsley Street Project to help develop the new neighbourhood mental health model, while others remained at Three Colts Lane continuing to provide mental health support as they had already been doing.

If you were already receiving support from Three Colts Lane, you may now be seen by Barnsley Street Project if your GP is one of the practices included in the new model. If your GP is not part of that group, you will continue to receive support from the team at Three Colts Lane. Either way, your mental health care and support continues.