St George’s Hospital, made famous by the TV series 24 Hours In A&E, is being considered for a new mental health emergency department, with £1.9million already secured to develop the plans.
The department in the Tooting hospital would provide people with more suitable specialist care in a calmer place, while taking pressure off St George’s A&E – including the number of people waiting in corridors. It would be built as close as possible to the hospital’s A&E so people could reach it easily.
Kate Slemeck, site CEO of St George’s, said the new department would be “for people who come into the organisation and currently sometimes get quite stuck in our emergency department for long periods, waiting for capacity outside of the hospital”.
Ms Slemeck told Wandsworth Council’s Health Committee on Monday night (September 21) St George’s was working with NHS partners to develop the plans using an initial £1.9m investment.
She said: “It’s looking at giving them a much better experience while they’re in the hospital, with the mental health interventions that they need at that time, and supporting their exit out of the organisation to the right place at the right time.”
The department would be run by South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust. The plans will be developed over the coming months, with more details to be revealed in due course.
The proposals are part of a £343m funding package, announced by the Government in August, to open 159 new NHS mental health facilities across England. This includes 100 new community mental health centres, offering walk-in support, and 59 mental health emergency departments.
The next round of national funding approval is expected in October 2026, with the cash due to be invested by March 2028.
Five new community mental health centres are planned across South West London, as part of this wider investment.
