Community rehabilitation support

The Orchards provides people experiencing mental ill health with an alternative to hospital.

Some people have mental ill health related to issues such as homelessness or drug use, making it very challenging to move straight from hospital to living independently. The Orchards provides a community based alternative to hospital stays, with support offered for up to three months. This means the team have time to ensure that individuals are fully connected with their professional and community support networks and, if necessary, can advocate for people to be allocated accommodation offering some level of support.

This holistic approach gives people the very best chance of moving forward towards fully independent living. It can include helping to manage medicines, finding the right accommodation, support with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as organising everyday activities that help people to live full, happy lives.

As The Orchards accommodation is designed to be a temporary, short-term stay for people it requires a high level of adaptability, energy and expertise from the support team. The team have been quick to respond to the growing number of people who need support with their recovery when leaving hospital, working flexibly and inclusively to improve each and every person’s mental health.

The Orchards team have a spirit that has an incredible impact on other colleagues, hospital staff, communities and, of course, people we support. The team’s dedication and commitment to the individual has not only led to positive outcomes in the lives of the people we support, but also gave Certitude the opportunity to expand our offer for the increasing number of people who needed mental health support at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We currently work with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation to provide The Orchards support offering, which now covers the London Borough of Croydon, Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham.