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Leading Birmingham mental health organisation, Living Well UK, has confirmed it is launching a wellbeing hub in the Jewellery Quarter: its third location in less than 12 months. Part of the pioneering grounded. project – a partnership between Living Well UK and NHS England – the new mental health café will be situated in St Paul’s Square and will be open for business this summer.

grounded. St Paul’s will span three floors: a café and wellbeing studio on the ground floor; and two further floors of therapy rooms above. In what will be a valuable resource to the mental health support sector, the Jewellery Quarter location will make 9 therapy rooms available to smaller regional wellbeing organisations that have little therapy space and increasing demands for face-to-face support.

Meanwhile, its wellbeing studio will be dedicated to helping mental health staff to access support themselves. According to recent research from the Care Quality Commission, NHS staff are generally more than twice as likely to record ‘anxiety, stress or depression’ as their cause of sickness absence than any other reason, with staff shortages and physical and verbal abuse cited as key causes for

concern1. In a bid to help combat this, the wellbeing studio will offer care professionals a calming space to decompress and switch off from their work.

Ben Howells, Chief Executive Officer at Living Well Consortium, comments:

“The launch of this third site is monumental in expanding the support and care that we at Living Well UK have always been dedicated to providing. Beyond services for the inner-city community, we’re incredibly proud that this site will also offer a dedicated space for mental health workers to visit when they need to decompress from the stresses of the job. We’re aware that caring for others can be incredibly demanding at times; we hope grounded. St Paul’s will give caregivers a calming, peaceful place to recharge and recoup, ready to continue giving the much-needed support that so many of us benefit from.”

The launch of its third location in less than a year is a result of its vast success so far in Selly Oak and Hall Green. In just nine months, grounded. has welcomed over 7,000 people, held 125 free wellbeing workshops supported 150 people to access free Talking Therapy, and created jobs for people who have faced barriers to employment– providing a vital boost to both the health and the economy.

Applauded as the first dedicated wellbeing café in the West Midlands, grounded. Selly Oak has offered visitors a place to relax, recover, and recoup since its launch in July 2023. Not only does it host events, like crafternoons and fitness classes, but the space also facilitates both group and one-to-one therapeutic support, and crisis support service after hours, in a non-clinical environment.

Its immediate success enabled the opening of grounded. Hall Green in January 2024, acting as an information, education and workshop centre to those in the community. Led by Living Well Consortium member, Cognitive Wellness, the site provides a safe place to discuss options for mental health support with a registered therapeutic mentor. Activities such as anger management classes, yoga, and stress workshops are also available, led by a range of Living Well Consortium members and experts.

Howells continues:

“Since launching our grounded. sites in Selly Oak and Hall Green last year, we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of people interacting with our services and seeking the support they need. Mental health struggles are a reality of life, no matter who you are or where you live; that’s why grounded. has been such an incredible project so far – not only are we able to offer people support in their local area, but we’re actually seeing people make use of that support and interact with one another.”

While Living Well Consortium will be at the helm of the project, the day-to-day operations and clinical aspect of the hub will be led by the Living Well team.

grounded. St. Paul’s will be opening to the public in July. To find out more, visit https://groundedcafe.co.uk/.

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