Hastings youth mental health charity halts new referrals as NHS funding ends

A Hastings mental health charity has stopped taking new referrals after its NHS funding ended, warning that young people face an "uncertain future" without early support. Eggtooth said it has supported more than 900 young people over the last two years but can no longer accept new clients because funding has run out.

Co-director Jade Parker described the situation as "deeply concerning", saying the charity supports young people when anxiety builds, school becomes difficult and daily life starts to unravel. "Without early support, those needs escalate into crisis," she said.

"Continuing to act only at crisis point is failing our community. In a town with such high levels of serious mental illness, early intervention is critical to prevention." The charity cited last month’s Sussex Community Foundation report, Improving Health, saying Hastings has nearly 50% higher rates of serious mental illness and schizophrenia cases than the rest of the UK, and 70% higher rates of hospital admissions for self-harm.

Eggtooth said it had received funding from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for the past four years to help respond to the pressures facing young people, but the ICB has now confirmed that funding has run out. "We are turning young people away at the point they need help the most," Parker said, adding that vulnerable young people are being left in a gap where decisions are delayed and no clear plan is in place.

The charity added that the mental health crisis in coastal communities like Hastings was highlighted in 2021 when the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, tasked lead health organisations with devising specific plans to address their health challenges. It said Hastings MP Helena Dollimore raised the issue in Parliament last year and, following her intervention, the charity received funding for an additional year.

Cllr Julia Hilton, deputy leader of Hastings Borough Council, called the end of funding for charities like Eggtooth "extremely disappointing". "It is ultimately the children and young people of Hastings who will feel the impact of this decision," she said, adding that she would raise the issue urgently with partners across Sussex.

A spokesperson for NHS Surrey and Sussex ICB said supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people "remains a key priority" for health and care partners across Sussex. They thanked the Eggtooth team but said the service had been supported through "historic, time-limited" funding and "there is no dedicated budget available to continue this specific service".

The ICB said improving access and reducing waiting times remains a focus in Hastings and pointed to a range of support including the I-roc service delivered by Sussex Partnership Foundation NHS Trust, Primary Mental Health Workers, targeted support such as the Attendance Keyworker Service, an expansion of Sussex Mental Health Support Teams, along with commissioned voluntary and community sector provision and locally delivered counselling and emotional wellbeing services.

The ICB added that, as part of a wider children and young people’s mental health transformation programme, it is reviewing early intervention and community support to develop a more consistent and sustainable model across Sussex, and will ensure learning from services such as Eggtooth informs this work.