Mental health hub to open in Banbury town centre in £178,000 development

The Keystone hub, which will be located in Castle Quay, is designed to enable adults with mental health difficulties to ‘thrive among friends, family and their community’.

It will be linked to users’ GP surgeries, NHS mental health services and third-sector mental health service providers.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust described the development as ‘ground breaking’ in an announcement about the new Banbury facility and another in Abingdon.

A Keystone hub in Blackbird Leys and East Oxford opened in November as legendary boxer Frank Bruno MBE launched the Frank Bruno Centre at Oxford Stadium.

The hubs will be home to Primary Care Mental Health Teams - professionals from health and social care including mental health professionals from the NHS, the third-sector and people who have experienced mental health challenges themselves.

The three hubs are part of an initial roll-out, with the Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub in Banbury set to open in the coming months.

They have been called after a keystone, which is the central stone, or principle, which holds a building or system together.

Dr Rob Bale, Clinical Director for Mental Health Services in Oxfordshire, said: “Just like with long-term physical health challenges, having an ongoing mental health disorder means that over time some people can experience periods of good mental health and periods where they experience more challenging symptoms.

"The hubs will be able to respond dynamically to people’s changing needs – making it easier for people to receive the right mental health support for them at the right time.

“Alongside mental health treatment and care, the Primary Care Mental Health Teams will facilitate support for adults in other aspects of their life which can be affected by and exacerbate mental health challenges, including relationships, leisure and socialising, accommodation, finances, training and education.

“The hubs will be right in the heart of communities – making it really convenient for people who experience ongoing mental health challenges.”

Dr David Chapman, Clinical Mental Health Lead for the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (responsible for commissioning and funding of local health and care services) said: “Our priority is to help people with serious and complex mental health illness lead better lives with the support they need.*

"Keystone hubs will help these patients by providing them with access to a team of dedicated mental health professionals in their communities across Oxfordshire. This new NHS service will also enable GPs to work very closely with health staff in the hubs to ensure their patients receive care and treatment closer to their homes making it easier to get the support they require.

"We thank everyone who have helped launch the service locally which will make a difference to improving patient care.

“This transformation of mental health services is part of the national trend to create better NHS mental health care for patients in local communities up and down the country including in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire West. We will work closely with the local NHS, care partners and GPs to make this happen and ensure patients get the support they need.”