Mental health resource centres in Cornwall closing

Mental health day resource centre services in Cornwall are set to close.

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said a new provider had been appointed by Cornwall Council to deliver a redesigned service from 1 April, but the trust had since been informed the provider had withdrawn.

Council-owned buildings in Camborne, Truro, Falmouth, Penzance, St Austell and Bude are set to shut by Tuesday. Mental health day centres had previously operated at 10 sites across the county.

The council said the closures were part of "wider changes to how support is provided locally" and was "not about withdrawing funding or support". It did not comment on the trust's claim a provider had withdrawn.

"The aim is to make sure people continue to receive help in ways that feel more personal, flexible and supportive of their wellbeing, as well as expanding other services so more people can access them," a council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The authority said people currently using the services were being supported to access suitable alternatives in their local area from 1 April, including a personal review of the support they receive.

Trust sites in Launceston and Liskeard will continue to serve as a base for other community mental health services.

A council spokesperson said, while the future of trust-owned buildings in Bodmin and Newquay was yet to be determined, it worked closely with nearby sites that provide mental health day activities such as Newquay Orchard.

The trust said it had "provided mental health day resource centre services on behalf of Cornwall Council since the early 2000s".

It said: "We are writing to service users to keep them informed and ensure they continue to receive support from services the council already commissions."

A council representative said: "We know some of the existing centres are old and not the best environment for delivering the person-centred, recovery-focused support, close to home, that service users told us they value during recent engagement."

They said service users would be supported via a personalised review to receive support from services the council already commissions and would continue to receive ongoing support with this review.

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