'We want to build a relationship so they can trust you'

THERE are two words that James, 28, uses repeatedly to describe England's first 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centre: "Safe haven."

- By Hanna Geissler Health Editor

Sheraz Ahmad, consultant psychiatrist and clinical lead for the centre, says this walk-in hub model is radically different to often fragmented local services, where people can be passed between different teams with long waiting times for appointments.

He said: "Our patients often tell us they feel like they're being pushed around and nobody really knows them.

"This place is where we're saying, 'No, the person stays with us'. We're providing that continuity.

"We're trying to do away with all the fragmentation so we're not referring people who then wait eight weeks for a reply, then need another appointment and have to repeat their whole story.

"We want to try and build a relationship. You get to know them, and they can start to trust you a little.'

James had arrived the day before from The Royal London Hospital.