The official ground-breaking of Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust’s (C&I) new community mental health facility took place at 1 Lowther Road in Islington on Thursday 20 October.
The redevelopment, being built by UK construction company Kier, forms part of C&I’s St Pancras Transformation Programme. Once opened at the end of 2023, Lowther Road will provide a modern, welcoming space in the heart of the community. This will enable C&I to offer integrated services that address both mental health and physical health. Importantly, it will also provide an enhanced working environment for our staff.
Speaking before the ground-breaking ceremony Johnny Valavanis, service user representative said: “One of the many benefits of Lowther Road being a community facility is that it will be accessible to all, helping to remove stigma for service users. As a person with lived experience of mental health, I had the privilege of taking part in design workshops for the new Lowther Road site. I was treated with dignity and respect by all colleagues, especially the transformation team, planners, and architects.
“I enjoyed being able to input into the design process. This included everything from the floor layout, the colour of the paint and fixtures and fittings. I hope this will help develop a community facility and service that will be a welcoming and a therapeutic safe place for service users, carers, and staff alike.
Jinjer Kandola MBE, Trust Chief Executive, said: “Lowther Road will become a home for our community teams, based in the heart of Islington. Improving the quality of our community facilities is a crucial part of our plans to help people with mental health problems to live well in their communities. Flexibility is crucial in today’s fast changing NHS and Lowther Road will accommodate a range of services in a space that can be adapted to meet future needs.
"The vision for Lowther Road has been created with input from our staff, service users and the local community. But it would not have been possible without the support of Islington council, sector stakeholders and NHS colleagues.”
Lowther Road community facility will help to remove stigma for service users
The official ground-breaking of Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust’s (C&I) new community mental health facility took place at 1 Lowther Road in Islington on Thursday 20 October.
The redevelopment, being built by UK construction company Kier, forms part of C&I’s St Pancras Transformation Programme. Once opened at the end of 2023, Lowther Road will provide a modern, welcoming space in the heart of the community. This will enable C&I to offer integrated services that address both mental health and physical health. Importantly, it will also provide an enhanced working environment for our staff.
Speaking before the ground-breaking ceremony Johnny Valavanis, service user representative said: “One of the many benefits of Lowther Road being a community facility is that it will be accessible to all, helping to remove stigma for service users. As a person with lived experience of mental health, I had the privilege of taking part in design workshops for the new Lowther Road site. I was treated with dignity and respect by all colleagues, especially the transformation team, planners, and architects.
“I enjoyed being able to input into the design process. This included everything from the floor layout, the colour of the paint and fixtures and fittings. I hope this will help develop a community facility and service that will be a welcoming and a therapeutic safe place for service users, carers, and staff alike.
Jinjer Kandola MBE, Trust Chief Executive, said: “Lowther Road will become a home for our community teams, based in the heart of Islington. Improving the quality of our community facilities is a crucial part of our plans to help people with mental health problems to live well in their communities. Flexibility is crucial in today’s fast changing NHS and Lowther Road will accommodate a range of services in a space that can be adapted to meet future needs.
"The vision for Lowther Road has been created with input from our staff, service users and the local community. But it would not have been possible without the support of Islington council, sector stakeholders and NHS colleagues.”