From 1 February 2026, Solent Mind’s Portsmouth Peer Support Service, currently run from the Wellbeing Centre in Arundel Street, is changing.
Solent Mind has been commissioned by the NHS to focus on providing Peer support to service users within the primary care remit. The team will be out in community spaces, including St Mary’s in Portsmouth, working alongside NHS colleagues to offer extended hours support for people who may be working or have commitments during the day.
To ensure a joined-up approach, people looking to get support will need to follow a new referral pathway to access dedicated one-to-one support. Solent Mind Portsmouth will continue to work side-by-side with adults in our community using peer support to help them in their recovery journey and enable people to maintain positive mental wellbeing and thrive. Peer support is person-centred, where staff with lived experience work alongside those needing support.
Ian Stiff, Chief Operating Officer for Services at Solent Mind, said: “We have delivered a very strong portfolio of mental health peer services over many years in Portsmouth and it's great news that we will continue to offer peer support across our Portsmouth communities, working alongside Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. It’s been wonderful to hear from service users who have benefitted from our various support groups at our Portsmouth Wellbeing Centre where our peer practitioners have used their lived experience of mental health to create a safe and supportive space to connect, and I’m delighted that the team will be able to continue to deliver some of these vital services with a focus on supporting people’s mental health recovery. We are looking forward to working closely with our partners in Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare and reaching out further into our communities as part of the new service. We want to ensure a smooth transition for all our service users and will be communicating to those directly affected by the changes.”
Abi Clarkson, Head of Access - Adult Mental Health at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are delighted to continue our partnership with Solent Mind in delivering essential peer support services across Portsmouth. We value the feedback of our service users and through engagement with them, we know the need for more peer services is important to them. This collaboration ensures that individuals experiencing mental health challenges within primary care settings can access one-to-one support from people with lived experience, helping to aid their recovery.”
To access Solent Mind Portsmouth’s services in the future, please speak to your NHS mental health service, or contact the Portsmouth Mental Health Hub (0300 123 6621 Monday - Friday 8am-6pm) and they can arrange a new referral or visit our website for more information: www.