Crawley walk-in mental health service extends opening hours

Tuesday, 1 September 2026 09:00

By Philip Keeler

A walk-in out-of-hours mental health service in Crawley is extending its opening hours to help more people access support when they need it.

From Tuesday, 1 September, Crawley Staying Well, near County Oak Retail Park, will be open from 3pm until midnight every day of the year.

The service is co-delivered by Waythrough and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and is designed to offer an alternative to attending A&E for people experiencing a mental health crisis.

It is an open-access service, meaning people do not need an appointment and can attend during opening hours if they feel they are at breaking point or in urgent need of support.

Crawley Staying Well is staffed by mental health workers and peer support workers.

Alongside face-to-face help, the service also offers virtual drop-in sessions and group support, giving people different ways to access help.

Jason Collins, Crawley Staying Well Service Manager, said: “It is so important that people are able to access timely and appropriate support when they are experiencing a mental health crisis.

“We know that A&Es are not the right environment for someone who is in crisis. That is why we are so pleased to be able to provide an alternative, and by extending our opening hours at Crawley Staying Well we will be able to help even more people when they need it.”

The extended hours come as wider changes are being made to mental health crisis care across Sussex.

NHS England announced plans last year to establish mental health emergency departments around the country to help reduce pressure on acute hospitals.

Three are planned for Sussex, with sites in Eastbourne, Brighton and either Chichester or Worthing.

The changes form part of wider work to improve community mental health support and reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments.

Other ways people can access mental health support include texting SUSSEX to 85258 or calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option.

For more information about Staying Well, go to: www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/staying-well

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