South West London NHS Trust has opened two ‘recovery’ cafes in Wimbledon and Tooting to support adults experiencing mental health issues.

Community Drug Service for South London (CDARS) runs the Sunshine Recovery Café in Kingston Road, Wimbledon Chase. London charity Hestia runs the Tooting branch in Garratt Lane.

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust commissioned the cafes for people in Merton, Sutton, Wandsworth, Kingston or Richmond to visit without an appointment. Users must be over 18, but do not need to have been diagnosed, or previously used mental health services to visit.

Mark Clenaghan, head of service delivery, urgent and acute care at Springfield University Hospital, said: “Eighteen months ago we found that the demand for our adult mental health inpatient was more than the number of beds we had.

“The philosophy behind these cafes is providing an alternative to people who may be in mental health crises that provides support, company and structure so that they can manage the crisis without being sucked into the emergency medical structure of the NHS.”

The cafés are run by managers, qualified mental health staff and volunteer staff. Organisers are encouraging users of mental health services to volunteer at the cafés.

The cafés are open from 6pm-11.30pm on weekdays, and 12pm-11pm on weekends and bank holidays.

The cafés also operate phonelines for people to call in crisis. Calls made outside opening hours will be returned when the cafés reopen.

People living outside the five boroughs may also use the service.

Deborah Barnard, service manager at the Wimbledon café, said: “People think they can only come when they are in a crisis but I think people need to know where it is, know the staff and see what it is about, so when they are in a crisis, they can just come as it can cause anxiety to come for the first time during a crisis.”

“I think it is about coming to people and taking the people before it gets to a full-blown crisis - to use the café to avert being in that much of a crisis.”

A spokesperson for Hestia said: “Part of the way we believe we move forward in a mental health crisis is sharing their experience with someone and working together to work through the crisis they are going through.”

Hestia’s recovery cafe is at 966 Garratt Lane, London SW17 0ND, telephone number 07794394920.

The Sunshine Recovery Cafe is located at 296a Kingston Road, London, SW20 8LX, telephone number 07908436617.

Both cafes have a buzzer that must be pressed to enter.