NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) has awarded Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) a single integrated contract for adult, children and adolescent mental health services.
The new contract, which includes the all-age eating disorder service, is for services covering all of Kent and Medway.
The contract award means the following services currently provided by North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) will be provided by KMPT in the future:
- Children and Young People’s Mental Health Support Service (CYPMHS)
- Kent Emotional Wellbeing Team and Medway Emotional Support Team, known nationally as Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs)
- Learning disabilities, autism and ADHD services
- Kent Primary Care Network Children and Young People's Mental Health Practitioner (PCN MHP)
- Kent and Medway All-Age Eating Disorder Service
- The Health-based Place of Safety (HBPoS) and Home Treatment Teams based at Kent and Medway Adolescent Hospital (KMAH).
NELFT teams will transfer to KMPT, ensuring clinical teams currently providing services to children, young people and adults under NELFT’s current contractual arrangements continue to be those providing their care.
Chief Executive at NHS Kent and Medway Paul Bentley said: “I would like to thank both KMPT and NELFT for their commitment to working to bring Kent and Medway’s children, young people’s and adult mental health services together.
“Children and young people will still see the same teams, in the same places, and should they need support into adulthood, they will have the opportunity to continue their care with KMPT, an organisation they are already familiar with.
“One of our obligations as an integrated care board is to support our local economy, as well as being the right thing for service users, this step will do that.”
The new integrated all-age mental health services contract with KMPT begins from 1 April 2026.
KMPT, NELFT and NHS Kent and Medway are working together on the safe transfer of teams and services.