Exclusive:“We Are Not Just Losing a Building, We Are Losing Our Safe Space”-Vital Mental Health Group Faces Closure.

Service users say they feel abandoned and failed after a decision by North East London NHS Foundation Trust not to renew the lease on the Petersfield Centre in Harold Hill, resulting in the possible loss of a vital mental health group.

One service user, speaking exclusively to the Havering Daily, said the decision showed “a cost-cutting approach rather than a patient-focused one”.

“NELFT did not take a patient-focused approach but a cost-cutting approach, deciding not to renew the lease on the Petersfield Centre that facilitated our DBT group,” they said.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is used to support people diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, including those who experience intense mood swings, chronic feelings of emptiness, and who may struggle with self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

Service users say the closure means multiple high-risk and vulnerable patients across Havering have lost two hours of therapy each week.

“Liquidating something that we heavily rely on poses a real risk to our mental health and wellbeing and leaves us with very limited support,” the service user said.

They described how the news was delivered as “sporadic and insensitive”, saying there was little recognition of the impact such a decision would have.

“There was a lack of empathy which provoked feelings of abandonment and hopelessness,” they said. “We were given little information about what this meant for us going forward. We did not feel treated with respect.”

The service user said patients repeatedly asked for an urgent meeting to express their concerns, which was eventually agreed for 2 February.

“Coming to terms with losing a vital therapeutic input had harmful effects on each of us,” they said. “Some people reported an increase in suicidal ideation and self-injurious urges. We were left in the unknown and the stress and anxiety became consuming.”

They added that patients felt forced to advocate for themselves to protect a therapy journey they say had been life-changing.

“For us, we aren’t just losing a building,” they said. “We are losing a safe therapeutic space and the rapport and mutual support we built with one another.”

The loss of the group’s facilitator was described as particularly devastating.

“We feel completely shattered that we are losing a highly valued and trusted facilitator,” the service user said. “The support we received was life-changing. We felt safe, secure and empowered. We felt that we were no longer just surviving and that we could start to build a life worth living. Now we are losing all of that.”

While a meeting with the trust did take place, service users said it felt hostile and uncomfortable.

“We persevered as a group and supported one another because we had fought hard to have our voices heard,” they said. “That would not have happened otherwise.”

Alternative therapy options were offered, but service users say these are not realistic.

“We were offered groups in Redbridge and Waltham Forest, but travelling outside Havering is unrealistic,” they said. “We face barriers including employment, childcare, travel costs, and the fear and anxiety of unfamiliar journeys.”

Online therapy was also suggested, but some patients said this was not suitable.

“There is no face-to-face therapeutic presence, which many of us rely on to help regulate our emotions and stay safe,” the service user said.

They were also told the service could not continue in Havering due to a lack of suitable buildings and staffing capacity. Despite there being three possible venues, service users say none are currently approved or equipped for group therapy, and funding to recruit therapists has been cut.

“We feel it is unfair and unacceptable that we are facing the consequences of the trust’s systemic and organisational failures,” they said.

The service user said patients are now facing painful choices.

“Many of us are having to choose between completely losing a therapy service we waited years to receive, or halting our recovery journeys in the hope that a solution might eventually be found.”

They described the experience as traumatic and destabilising.

“This whole ordeal has been triggering and has left us with a lack of trust, unnecessary stress and fear,” they said. “Removing support from multiple vulnerable service users is a real risk that doesn’t bear thinking about.”

“We were promised consistency and continuity. Instead, we have been left with pain and added suffering.”

They added: “NELFT have failed vulnerable patients once again.”

In response, a spokesperson for NELFT said: “We have recently made some changes to the way the service is delivered for clinical and operational reasons. We will continue to review arrangements to ensure service users are supported and continue to be provided with safe and effective care, and to work with all those affected to meet their needs.”

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