A High Street NHS and community mental health hub is to be opened in the heart of Banbury’s town centre by former England and Arsenal footballer and respected pundit Martin Keown.

The Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub is to celebrate its launch with a gala opening at Castle Quay Shopping Centre this Thursday (July 20).

Adults experiencing mental health challenges will be able to draw on support from the hub thanks to NHS mental health professionals, Peers Support workers who have their own experience of mental health challenges and third-sector mental health services, in order to thrive among friends, family and their community. The hub is also linked to their local GP surgery.

It is hoped the hub will make it easier than ever for people in the community to access mental health care conveniently when they need it most.

The Banbury hub has been developed with adults who use mental health services in Banbury after they said they would like to see more specialist care available at local level via their GP surgery, and improved communication between GPs and mental health services.

It is part of a series of Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing Hubs opening up in town centres and communities across the county. A keystone is the central stone, or principle, which holds a building or system together.

Football great Martin Keown, who represented England at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, plus Euro 1998 and 2002, said: “It’s fantastic to see the opening of The Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub in my home county of Oxfordshire. To offer people another source of help from their local community, from a mix of professionals and those who have suffered with mental health previously, is inspirational and it will be a huge help for all. It will allow people living with mental health challenges to thrive in their day-to-day lives despite the challenges, and this hub will be the perfect place for people to seek help and support when they need it. I’m very honoured to be opening the hub today.”

Mental health nurse and hub manager David Naidoo from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust will lead a Primary Care Mental Health Team at the hub. He said: “Like any ongoing health condition, people can experience ups and downs when living with a long-term mental health condition. But we also know mental health is just one aspect of people’s lives. The hubs will be right in the heart of communities – making it really convenient for people who experience ongoing mental health challenges to get support when they need it. We’ll also be on hand to help people who use our services with other aspects of their life which can be affected by and exacerbate mental health challenges including relationships, leisure and socialising, accommodation, finances, employment, training and education.”

Dr David Chapman, Clinical Mental Health Lead for the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (which is 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.”

Chief Executive of Elmore Community Services, one of the third sector Keystone providers, Tom Hayes said: “Elmore’s caseworkers play a crucial role, providing support to people with mental ill health closer to their homes and communities. Our caseworkers work closely with our NHS colleagues to provide flexible and person-centred support. Elmore is proud to be supporting the new mental health hubs and belong to the Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership.”

Councillor Phil Chapman, Cherwell District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Healthy and Safe Communities, said: “This new Keystone hub is a great addition to Castle Quay and Banbury town centre. Mental health is a key component of people’s wellbeing, and thankfully the recognition that it is okay to seek help when it’s necessary is becoming increasingly widespread. Access to this support in a central and convenient location can only be a good thing for the wellbeing of our residents and communities.”

Oliver Wren, Centre Director at Castle Quay, said: “This is a hugely welcome addition to the centre. The whole Banbury community stands to benefit from this hub through access to high-quality, mental health care within a convenient, local setting. Helping people manage their mental health, and ultimately live a better life, is something we are very proud to support.”

Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub

Open Monday to Friday.

Seeing patients by appointment 9am to 5pm.

Available for the public to call in 10am to 2pm.

Contact 01865 904872; keystone.banbury@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk