Developing our estate

The St Pancras Hospital Transformation Programme is an ambitious NHS plan aimed at improving mental health and community services for local people.

As part of the programme, cutting-edge mental health facilities have already been opened during 2024 at Highgate East and Lowther Road, paid for by the NHS, with most of the funding coming from the sale and redevelopment of the St Pancras Hospital site.

The redevelopment of the St Pancras Hospital site also includes Oriel a brand-new integrated eye centre, a joint initiative between Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity. Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust acquired a two-acre site from C&I for Oriel through an NHS-to-NHS transaction approved by the Secretary of State for Health in 2023.

Three NHS organisations (North London Mental Health Partnership, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) currently provide mental health, kidney dialysis, rehabilitation and other community services from the St Pancras Hospital site. These organisations are working together with North Central London Integrated Care Board to develop plans for the future of these services, some of which will remain on the site as part of the redevelopment. This redevelopment is being undertaken in partnership with King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership.  

Our ambition is to promote the physical and mental wellbeing of those living, working and visiting the area, through open space, workspace, and homes alongside new modern clinical buildings. Our vision is to provide exceptional clinical care in modern, accessible and sustainable facilities and to deliver a place which is accessible and welcoming to all. Plans for the redevelopment of St Pancras Hospital will be submitted to Camden Council for approval.

Highgate East, a brand-new NHS mental health inpatient building on the Camden, Haringey and Islington border, next to the Whittington Hospital , opened in March 2024.

The building’s cutting-edge design provides 78 all single en-suite rooms, replacing ageing inpatient facilities at St Pancras Hospital and providing a purpose-built environment which will support the recovery of service users and significantly improve the working lives of staff.

The new building has outdoor space from each ward, therapy spaces and a sports’ hall. Highgate East will also be a valuable community asset with a café open to the public helping to destigmatise mental health.

A BBC London News report, filmed shortly before Highgate East opened can be viewed here .

The “official opening” of Highgate East took place in July 2024, with local MP Jeremy Corbyn and Alastair Campbell, broadcaster, journalist and mental health campaigner both present. 

Highgate Campus

The opening of Highgate East has enabled NLMHP to relocate its mental health inpatient wards from St Pancras Hospital to the newly created Highgate Campus. The campus incorporates the Highgate East which is situated opposite Highgate Mental Health Centre (Highgate West). The move replaces the ageing mental health facilities at St Pancras Hospital.  

  The state-of-the-art integrated community mental health centre at  1 Lowther Road opened its doors in March 2024. The centre provides a modern, welcoming space in the heart of the community offering integrated mental and physical health services and an enhanced working environment for staff.

Lowther Road is home to the majority of NLMHP’s Islington Community Services including Complex Depression Anxiety and Trauma, Personality Disorder Service, Community Rehabilitation and the Islington Clozapine and Depot Clinic. A community café on the ground floor will make Lowther Road a place which everyone can use and enjoy.

On 18 April 2024, Arsenal Academy Manager, Per Mertesacker, joined staff and service users to officially open Lowther Road.  Our Islington team has close links with the Arsenal in the Community project which delivers sport, social and education programmes to over 5,000 individuals each week including many with mental health diagnoses.  The opening of the new community centre – less than a mile from the Emirates Stadium – will further strengthen those bonds and enable even more effective community working.