Mental health befriending service

The ‘Befriending Service’ located at Mile End Hospital provides support to current inpatients of all wards within the Centre for Mental Health through befriending and other activities. The service aims to improve the quality of life of inpatients and increase satisfaction with the in-patient experience by reducing isolation, promoting independence, access to services and providing support to develop social networks.

The Befriending Service offers support to service users for up to a 3 months in the community, following their discharge. This will enable users to be supported and integrated back into the community via a recovery pathway whilst receiving support and assistance from a familiar, friendly and professional source.

The Befriending Service recruits, trains, supports and supervises all volunteers/befrienders whose main tasks are offering one-to-one companionship to in-patients (befriendees); supporting them to become less isolated, more independent and confident, to access on ward (on site) and community activities and services, in order to develop relationships and community networks.

The Service was officially launched on 3rd June 2010, where Hestia were pleased to welcome nearly 50 representatives made up of service users, volunteers; various voluntary sector organisations, as well as Mental Health professionals. The service has successfully trained 20 befrienders, and is currently accepting referrals prior to starting the matching process between befriendees and befrienders. Referrals routes are via patients care co-ordinator or self referrals depending on which ward the patients are based within.

For more information, or if you are interested in volunteering as a befriender please call 0207 613 0147 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it