As of today 1 April 2020, BHT successfully completed its merger with Sussex Oakleaf, a specialist provider of mental health services. This has been achieved in spite of the coronavirus pandemic and has followed eighteen months of negotiations.
Both organisations have long histories of providing effective front-line services to those who need it most, and by joining together can support more people and have a greater impact.
Andy Winter, Chief Executive of BHT, is staying on to lead the newly merged organisation. He said:
We are truly excited for the opportunities that this merger will bring, not just to the development of the two organisations but more importantly to the people who we support and who we will be able to support going forward.
Sussex Oakleaf has been providing a range of well-respected mental health services for more than 25 years and we are delighted that their knowledge, skills and resources will be combined with those of BHT so that we may be able to better promote positive change within the communities in which we operate.
Day to day delivery of services remain unchanged as a result of the merger, although coronavirus is having some impact on service delivery. Service users, residents and tenants will continue to receive the same support and be able to rely on the contact details and websites they are used to.
The newly merged organisation will now provide its services across an area that reaches from Crawley and Horsham in the north of Sussex down to Brighton in the south and across the coast as far as Hastings in the east.
Services include one to one and group support for those struggling with their mental health, addictions or homelessness, specialist housing services and supported accommodation, and advice services in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings.
For more information about the merger, please visit our dedicated webpage which answers frequently asked questions, or email enquiries@bht.org.uk
