Enter and view: Neighbourhood Mental Health Cafes

Healthwatch Leicester and Healthwatch Leicestershire undertook a series of announced enter and view visits to Neighbourhood Mental Health Cafes across Leicester and Leicestershire in 2025.  They spoke to 51 people.

The Enter and View visits to Neighbourhood Mental Health Cafés across Leicester and Leicestershire reveal a consistently positive picture of warm, welcoming spaces offering emotional and practical support. The cafés are described by many people as a "lifeline" providing connection, safety and relief from isolation or crisis. Staff are widely praised for their compassion, active listening and knowledge of mental health needs. The cafés differ in where they’re based, how they’re set up and what activities they offer but all share a focus on building supportive relationships and listening to what people need.

People described the Mental Health Cafés as a “lifeline” - a vital source of emotional and practical support. They consistently highlighted how supportive, warm and approachable the staff are. Many felt that being welcomed into a safe, non-judgemental environment helped ease their distress. The availability of one-to-one space was noted as particularly beneficial, giving individuals the privacy and time they needed to talk openly and feel heard. Most people reported that the support they received at the Mental Health Cafés was very helpful. 

People expressed the name “Neighbourhood Mental Health Café” can be either daunting or misleading with some people thinking that the café is a social space for tea and chat. 

 Some people expressed concerns about referrals. GPs are sometimes unaware of the cafés or unclear on how to refer. Individuals and staff expressed concerns that GPs are not giving much information about the cafes to people, they are not informed that the cafes are available and unclear how to refer with some people saying their GPs had given them a letter with a list of cafes and that individuals would have to source out the cafes themselves. Some users had poor experiences with VitaMinds and said that that they had been rejected and would not need the service. 

Accessibility of referral systems can be challenging. The Joy App was described as confusing and the lack of phone contact made booking difficult for some. There is a shared view among individuals and staff that the Joy App could be more effectively utilised by including additional information, such as contact details and other useful resources. 

Overall, there is a strong appetite to see the cafés continue and grow. There is a clear sense that they are plugging gaps in overstretched mental health systems. For many, they offer an approachable, low barrier point of access to support.