Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) welcomed Baroness Gillian Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women’s Health, to its Golden Hillock Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre (NMHC) in east Birmingham today (Thursday 21 May).
The visit showcased the innovative, community-based model of care being delivered through Birmingham’s first Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre – located in Small Heath – which is one of six national pilot sites helping to shape the future of mental health services across England.
Hosted by BSMHFT Chief Executive, Roísìn Fallon-Williams, the visit brought together senior representatives from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board and the Trust’s clinical and operational leadership teams.
During the visit, Baroness Merron toured the 24/7 purpose-designed centre on Golden Hillock Road, meeting members of the multidisciplinary team and seeing first-hand how the service is transforming access to mental health support in the local community. She also spent time speaking with staff about the benefits of delivering joined-up, neighbourhood-based mental health care and heard directly from people using the service about the impact the centre has had on their lives.
The Golden Hillock NMHC has been operating from its purpose-designed home at 109 Golden Hillock Road since January 2025, providing compassionate, inclusive and community-driven support for adults aged 18 and over across Small Heath, Heartlands and Bordesley Green. Since opening, the service has supported hundreds of people through a hospitality model designed to provide easier access to care closer to home. The welcoming environment includes shared living space, therapy rooms and short-stay bedrooms designed to help people feel safe, respected and supported.
Funded by NHS England for two years, the centre is aligned to the NHS 10-Year Plan and wider ambitions to move care away from traditional hospital settings into communities. The centre brings together a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, therapists, peer support workers, social workers and voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) partners to provide holistic support tailored to people’s individual needs. Support is delivered flexibly through appointments at the centre, outreach in people’s homes and communities and practical wellbeing support provided by VCFSE partners, including help with housing, finances, employment and social connection.
The welcoming environment includes shared living spaces, wellbeing areas and short-stay bedrooms designed to help people feel safe, respected and supported.
Reflecting on the visit, Roísìn Fallon-Williams, Chief Executive of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Baroness Merron to our Golden Hillock Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre, the first of it’s kind for Birmingham.
“This centre represents a major shift in how mental health care is delivered – removing barriers, improving access and creating a model built around compassion, continuity and community.
“Our staff and partners are incredibly passionate about delivering care differently, and today’s visit was an important opportunity to showcase the impact this work is already having for local people.”
Baroness Gillian Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women’s Health, said:
“Visiting the Golden Hillock Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre was genuinely inspiring. What the team here in Small Heath has built is exactly the kind of bold, compassionate approach to mental health care that this government wants to see more of across the country.
“Too many people have had to travel too far, wait too long or reach crisis point before getting the support they need. This centre shows what is possible when we bring care into the heart of communities – meeting people where they are, in a setting that feels welcoming rather than clinical.
“I want to thank everyone at BSMHFT, the Integrated Care Board and all the staff and partners I met for their dedication and for showing us what the future of mental health services can look like. This is exactly the shift from hospital to community that our forthcoming Mental Health Strategy will deliver.”
Danielle Oum, Chair of NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board and NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board cluster, said:
“The opening of Birmingham’s first Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre is an important milestone in our ambition to make mental health a core part of neighbourhood health.
“Our priority is to support people earlier, closer to home and in ways that recognise the wider factors that affect their mental wellbeing, including physical health, housing, employment, financial pressures and social isolation.
“This centre is a strong example of that approach in practice, bringing together NHS and voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise partners to offer accessible, culturally responsive support in the heart of local communities.
“As one of six national pilot sites, it will provide valuable learning as we continue to develop integrated neighbourhood health services across Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country.”
Supported by NHS England’s Quality Transformation Programme, the work of the Golden Hillock Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre is helping to inform the future development of 24/7 neighbourhood mental health services nationally.
For more information about the Golden Hillock Neighbourhood Mental Health Centre, visit https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/247NMHC
Published: 28 May 2026
