Community Mental Health Hubs and Community Connectors

Built around the NHS vision for better community mental health care, the Community Mental Health Hub and Community Connector Model makes it easier for people to get the right support, closer to home.

It connects services and communities so that everyone across the county can access the help they need, when and where they need it.

Model Structure and Reach

The model comprises 15 Community Mental Health Hubs, numerous satellite sites, and a network of Community Connectors.

Each Hub is linked to one of 14 NHS Primary Care Networks and is delivered through local voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations.

Community Connectors serve as vital links between individuals, services, and communities, with one dedicated to rough sleeping support.

Key features and offerings:

Hubs provide:

• Safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces
• Access to professionals and services
• Social connection and community engagement
• Diverse wellbeing activities (e.g., arts, gardening, peer support)
• Opportunities for personal growth and volunteering

Community Connectors:

• Act as trusted navigators and facilitators within their local ecosystems
• Build and maintain local networks
• Support service co-production and community asset development
• Deliver transformative, person-centred support

Impact and outcomes

Between September 2023 and March 2025, over 107,000 attendances were recorded across Hub, satellite site and roving outreach sessions.

Most participants are regular attendees, with 85–95% typically attending weekly.

Hubs have become lifelines for individuals facing isolation, poverty, and mental health challenges.

Community Connectors have:

• Strengthened local support systems
• Improved access and signposting to services
• Reduced pressure on statutory services
• Fostered structural change and cross-sector collaboration

“Clients have commented that they feel welcomed, accepted, valued and loved as they have attended the Wellbeing Cafe. Some have experienced those feelings for the first time in their lives.”

“Hearing local families say they are able to eat due to the warm spaces sessions has been extremely powerful.”

“The heightened sense of community has been the most important change to the communities that use the Hub… for many seeing a familiar face when walking round is comforting and helps reduce the feelings of loneliness and isolation many experience.”

“Transformation: We are witnessing people signing up to go into rehab and getting clean. We are witnessing people with no hope are now forming healthy relationships where previously there was no hope. We are seeing people stopping smoking.”

“People that I get to talk to who have been coming for years tell me how the centre has changed their lives with the support that they have been given when in dire need and experiencing a lot of stress. Sometimes they have lost partners and need help and support in their grief. There is no end to the wonderful stories that I get to hear on a weekly basis how the centre has changed lives. It’s a conveyor belt of different people different problems using us to make their paths / lives better.”

Challenges identified

Despite successes, several challenges persist:

• Accessibility issues due to rurality and limited transport links
• A lack of physical space, and in particular private space in some Hubs
• Volunteer recruitment and retention difficulties
• Managing the wellbeing of staff and volunteers, particularly in regard to Emotional Labour
• Uncertainty over future funding (post-2026)
• Inconsistent service provision across locations
• Tensions between equality of access and community needs led provision

Alignment with NHS strategies

The model supports key NHS strategic goals:

• Integrated Care: Multi-agency collaboration and co-location of services
• Accessibility: Local, low-barrier support in familiar venues
• Personalised Care: Trauma-informed, co-produced services
• No Wrong Door: Open-access, inclusive, and continuous care pathways

Social Return on Investment (SROI)

Using the Social Value Engine, the programme-wide SROI is calculated at £7.76 for every £1 invested.

Individual Hub SROI values range from £2.30 to £16.56, influenced by factors such as longevity, volunteer input, accessibility, and community engagement.

Future directions

To ensure sustainability and continued impact, areas for further consideration include:

• Clarifying Community Connector roles and geographic coverage
• Increasing funding and staffing, especially in rural areas
• Enhancing evening and weekend provision
• Strengthening strategic input from Community Connectors
• Expanding networks and identifying unmet need