Posted on: 19 February 2026
BBC London shone a spotlight on mental health A&Es across the capital this week, with a closer look at the work happening inside CNWL’s Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service (MHCAS).
MHCAS is one of four specialist centres in London and among the first of its kind in the country - offering an alternative to busy emergency departments for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
The BBC spoke with Claire Murdoch, Chief Executive, as well as Toti Freysson, Service Manager and Dr Mehtab Rahman, Consultant Psychiatrist, who talked about the skilled workforce behind the service.
Since opening we’ve seen more than 2,000 patients, with 90% of those seen in crisis not requiring hospital admission.
The segment explored the wider picture too, including how crisis centres like MHCAS are helping reduce mental health attendances across our sites. In December, CNWL recorded its lowest levels of mental health activity in a year, alongside the lowest number of long waits. This is a major achievement at a time of intense pressure across the NHS.
Reflecting on the impact of the service, Claire Murdoch said:
"When this unit opened, within a matter of weeks, we were able to stop paying the private sector for overspill care and treatment and reinvest that money back into more local services."
One of the key developments highlighted was the Trust’s comprehensive crisis care offer, which brings together our Single Point of Access (SPA), psychiatric liaison in hospitals, home treatment teams, the out of hours crisis response team and MHCAS into a 24/7 urgent care system.
MHCAS sits alongside other similar services such as the Lighthouse in Hillingdon and Paddington, with plans are underway to open a new centre in Harrow.
Read more from BBC London.
Go behind the scenes at MHCAS by visiting our TikTok channel.
