Pears Maudsley Centre to ‘put young people first’

David Bradley, CEO of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, explains the design principles behind the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People, set to open in London in 2023. The project’s architects, IBI Group, say they have used ‘innovative design’, developed in consultation with service-users, to create ‘a green, open, and therapeutic environment’. The project partners say the facility will ‘revolutionise and de-stigmatise mental healthcare for young people’.

When the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People in Denmark Hill opens its doors in the autumn of next year, it will be the realisation of a long-standing ambition and dream. All those who work in or use Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust know just how much it will mean to finally have a state-of-the-art space designed specifically with young people’s mental health in mind.

It is estimated that as many as one in six children suffer from mental health conditions, and that half of the mental health issues experienced by adults begin before the age of 15. This is an ever-growing issue, and one that requires specialist care and research. Dedicated facilities like the Pears Maudsley Centre will allow us to bring expert care and research together under one roof, allowing our globally recognised specialists to share their knowledge and experience with one another, and constantly refine their practices. Such facilities also present us with the opportunity to de-stigmatise the process of accessing mental health  services, removing one of the main barriers that prevent young people from seeking help.