A fast access mental health clinic has been launched in Southampton in order to meet demand. 

The Wellbeing Centre, in West End, is now open to all patients, with a particular focus on children and adults seeking an autism diagnosis. 

Priory, the UK’s leading independent provider of mental health services, has invested £100,000 in the move to a larger facility following a huge increase in demand in the aftermath of the pandemic and during the cost of living crisis.

It comes as new figures suggest that 16 per cent of children living in Southampton are struggling with their mental health, up from 10.5 per cent in 2017.

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Priory, which also has a hospital at Marchwood, will offer expert diagnosis of mental health conditions and those who may be on the autistic spectrum.

As of March 2023, 157,579 people were waiting for an autism assessment in England, according to NHS data, a 35 per cent increase in the number of people waiting in just one year.

Separate figures from mental health charity YoungMinds show almost one and a half million children were referred to mental health services in 2022.

To meet the growing demand along the South Coast, the Wellbeing Centre, on the site of Priory’s former Manor Clinic, will provide a greater range of consultant and therapist-led outpatient services.

The centre has eight large rooms for group therapy sessions, and a garden space for outdoor activities.

It is staffed by consultant psychiatrists, psychologists and a range of individual, group and family therapists, providing treatments for a broad range of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, stress, addiction, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bereavement and grief.

The centre accepts self-funding patients and those with health insurance.

Clinical Lead Clare Gask said: "For those living on the South Coast, we know there has been a gap in provision for many patients for some time. Our ethos has always been to promote the importance of early assessment and diagnosis. We hope that by offering a friendly and discreet service that is accessible and convenient, we can play an active part in supporting and navigating our patients towards a better quality of life and long-term recovery."