West London NHS Trust is set to make its existing Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS) at Lakeside a permanent, larger facility. The service began operating in December 2025 and has already helped more than 370 people to receive specialist mental health care. The trust’s plan confirms that the service at Lakeside will be expanded and that the expanded permanent facility is to open in 2027.
What is changing
The trust is set to make the existing MHCAS at Lakeside a permanent, larger facility. This means the service currently operating at Lakeside will continue on a permanent basis with an expanded facility. The permanent expanded facility at Lakeside is to open in 2027. The information provided sets out the intention to establish a larger permanent facility at the same Lakeside location and confirms the opening year.
Who the service serves
The service can be accessed by residents from Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham. This access applies to people living in these three boroughs, and the service at Lakeside is available to them under the current arrangements described.
Funding and national context
The expansion comes as the government announced a £343 million programme to open 159 new mental health facilities across England, including 31 in London. Within this national programme, Lakeside is among those receiving investment, with a permanent expanded facility to open in 2027. The announcement places the Lakeside development within the broader set of new facilities planned across England and within London.
Service to date
Since opening in December 2025, the MHCAS at Lakeside has helped more than 370 people to receive specialist mental health care. This figure relates to the period since the service opened and reflects the number of people helped to date. The number underscores that the service has been in use since December 2025 and has supported hundreds of individuals.
Timeline and delivery
The permanent expanded facility at Lakeside is to open in 2027. The plan to make the existing service permanent and larger is set within this timeframe. The 2027 opening year is part of the investment associated with the wider programme described above. The trust’s development at Lakeside is included among sites to be supported through the national programme.
Local focus
The Lakeside MHCAS serves residents from Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham. People living in these areas can access the service, and the move to establish a permanent, larger facility at Lakeside is set out alongside the national programme of new mental health facilities. The boroughs named here are those to which access is specifically stated.
Programme overview
The government programme referenced totals £343 million and is intended to open 159 new mental health facilities across England. Of these, 31 are in London. Lakeside is included in the programme, and the permanent expanded facility there is to open in 2027. The figures summarise the scale of activity across England and London within which the Lakeside development sits.
Summary of confirmed points
- Service change: West London NHS Trust is set to make its existing MHCAS at Lakeside a permanent, larger facility.
- Opening date of current service: the MHCAS at Lakeside opened in December 2025.
- People helped: more than 370 people have received specialist mental health care through the service.
- National programme: the expansion comes as a £343 million programme is set to open 159 new mental health facilities across England, including 31 in London.
- Investment and timing: Lakeside is among those receiving investment, with a permanent expanded facility to open in 2027.
- Access: the service can be accessed by residents from Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham.
Further information
For the full government announcement and wider programme details, view the detailed source material.
