About us
Your mental health matters. We're here to help.
We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway.
Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access wherever you live.
We work with you, your family and carers and your community. We listen to what matters most, so care feels safe, respectful and closer to home.
We are proud to be a place where our expert and dedicated staff, patients, carers and partners come together to support people to live well, and make mental health care better for everyone.
Living well with mental health
Living well doesn’t mean never feeling low or anxious. It means having the right help to manage mental health problems, recover, and lead a life that feels meaningful and hopeful.
Sometimes that’s about treatment and therapy. Sometimes it’s about support with wider areas in your life like work, relationships, housing, or staying connected to your loved ones and community.
Our goal is to help you stay safe, feel understood, build skills and confidence, and find hope for the future - even when mental health problems are severe or long term.
Our new name
Until October 2025 we were called Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT).
Patients, their loved ones and our communities told us the name didn’t make it clear that we provide mental health care.
We listened. Our new name - Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust - puts mental health front and centre. It shows our promise to make support easy to find, to be clear about who we are and how we can help, and to stand proudly for better mental health for everyone in Kent and Medway.
Our four values guide what we do
- Caring: Showing kindness and looking after each other every day.
- Curious: Listening, learning, and improving to find better ways to care.
- Inclusive: Making sure every voice is heard and respected.
- Confident: Leading positive change in mental health.
Wherever you are in Kent and Medway, we’re here for you and your loved ones.
The support we give
Mental health is just like physical health - everybody has it and we all need to take care of it. We help people when mental health problems become serious, long-lasting, or life-changing. This might mean:
- Feeling very unwell for a long time or not getting better with usual treatments.
- Experiencing psychosis (seeing or hearing things others don’t, or feeling very confused or suspicious).
- Living with bipolar disorder, severe depression, or other illnesses that cause big changes in mood, energy, or daily life.
- Struggling with complex personality difficulties that affect relationships and safety.
- Needing specialist care because of other brain or nervous system conditions.
We don’t usually provide first help for milder mental health problems such as everyday stress, worry, anxiety, or mild depression. For these, your GP, local talking therapies (IAPT), and community wellbeing services are often the best places to start.
Our teams step in when problems are serious or complex and someone’s safety, health, or everyday life is deeply affected. We support people through different stages of their mental health journey, giving expert, joined-up NHS care.
Our services
Some of the care we provide includes:
- Urgent and inpatient care: Help when you’re in crisis or need hospital support.
- Community mental health: Local teams helping you stay well at home and through our community hubs.
- Mental Health Together: A community service that brings together various services and organisations to address a person’s whole needs - including mental health, physical health, social support, relationships, employment, and debt. Find out more about Mental Health Together.
- Crisis home treatment and rapid response: Intensive support in your home.
- Liaison psychiatry: Mental health expertise for people in physical health hospitals.
- Early intervention in psychosis: Fast help for a first episode of psychosis.
- Forensic services: Care for people involved in the justice system.
- Specialist and complex care services: a wide range of expert services, including:
- Rosewood Mother and Baby Unit - supporting new parents who are unwell after birth
- Thrive - our psychological support for birth trauma and loss
- Services for people with a learning disability
- Bridge House - specialist detoxification and recovery support
- Neuropsychiatry and community brain injury teams
- Health-based places of safety: Safe spaces for immediate care under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.
- Vocational rehabilitation: Help to rebuild confidence and return to work.
- Personality disorder services: Specialist therapy and support in the community.
- Research and innovation: Testing and developing better ways to support mental health locally, nationally, and worldwide.
From spring 2026, our services will extend to include children and young people’s mental health services and all-age eating disorder services within the Trust.
Our strategy for 2025-2026
Our three-year strategy (2023–2026) continues to guide how we deliver on our vision and respond to the challenges facing mental health care. It sets out what we aim to achieve and how we work every day to make this happen.
Our mission is what we set out to do every day
We deliver brilliant care through brilliant people.
Our vision is where we want to be in the future
To provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.
How we’re achieving this
We focus on three strategic ambitions:
1. People We Care For
Delivering outstanding, person-centred care that is safe, high quality and easy to access.
This includes:
- Improving access to quality care
- Creating safer and better experiences in our wards
- Actively involving service users and carers in shaping services
2. People Who Work For Us
Being a great place to work, with engaged and capable staff living our values.
This includes:
- Creating a culture where people feel safe, equal and can thrive
- Building a sustainable workforce for the future
- Developing empowered, inclusive leadership
3. Partners We Work With
Leading in partnership to deliver the right care and reduce health inequalities.
This includes:
- Bringing partners together for community-based care
- Working together to deliver care in the right place at the right time
- Addressing key issues impacting our communities
Our Strategic Enablers
Supporting these ambitions are three enablers:
Technology and Data: Using digital tools and accurate data to transform care and free up staff time
Efficiency and Sustainability: Achieving financial sustainability, exceeding NHS Greener programme goals, and transforming how we work
Our Environments: Creating safe, fit-for-purpose clinical spaces and maximising office and estate use
Download our strategy to read it in full
Download our strategy in easy read format
Need help or want to get in touch?
Our services run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To get in touch, or for assistance, please visit our need help page.
