Topping Out ceremony marks a milestone for The Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People’s Mental Health

(From left to right) Sir Norman Lamb, Rebecca Gray, Jasmin, David Bradley, Hector McAlpine, Professor Shitij Kapur, and Professor Ian Everall.

The Topping Out ceremony marks a significant milestone in the construction of the new £65 million Centre. It will bring together world-leading academics and clinicians across South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, to transform child and adolescent mental health care and dramatically reduce the time it takes to bring research to clinical treatment.

The celebratory ‘Topping Out’ ceremony was attended by young people who helped design the building, local people and dignitaries. The event marked the completion of the construction of the frame of the £65 million building at the Maudsley Hospital.

The event included ceremonial pouring of concrete to complete the roof of the eight-storey building and the placement of an evergreen bough - a tradition which dates back to Roman times when tree boughs were used to protect buildings from evil spirits and bring in blessings from the tree spirits.

Changing the landscape for children’s mental health

Professor Shitij Kapur, President & Principle of King's College London, said:

“There is no other Centre like this in the world. Bringing together King’s College London’s world class researchers in mental health with clinical expertise, will enable us to find solutions together and change the landscape for children’s mental health.

"This will benefit our communities locally and nationally and lead to sharing best practice across the world, influencing global policy and mental health outcomes.

“It is this spirit of collaboration, innovation and creativity that will drive the culture at the Pears Maudsley Centre.”

Sir Norman Lamb, Chair of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“It is fantastic to see this unique building taking shape, giving an insight into the life-changing facility it is going to become. The centre will support our local south London community, which has some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country, together with specialist national children’s mental health services that are available to everyone in England.”

David Bradley, Chief Executive of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“After so many years of hard work, it is incredibly exciting to see the Pears Maudsley Centre coming to fruition.

“This project is rooted in partnership and collaboration and the Centre will enable us to develop ground-breaking treatments that will transform the lives of children and young people at a time when improving their mental health has never been more important.”

Rebecca Gray, Chief Executive Officer of the Maudsley Charity, said:

"Today’s ceremony is another significant milestone for The Pears Maudsley Centre and the partnership behind this innovative development.

"But this is more than just a building. With support from philanthropists and the public we can improve mental health outcomes now and for the future. Our commitment is that we can ‘Change The Story’ on children’s mental health - and the Centre is the physical embodiment of that vision.”

The Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People

The Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People is due to open in Denmark Hill in 2023. The Centre is the result of a “bench to bedside” partnership between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's and the Maudsley Charity, which aims to transform child and adolescent mental health care through a unique collaboration between world-leading academics and clinicians.

The Centre will be home to clinicians and academics in the field of children and young people’s mental health from the Trust and the IoPPN, as well as the outstanding Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School and young in-patients.

It will provide treatment to young people with a range of conditions, from eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder, to anxiety, ADHD, autism and trauma.

Pears Maudsley Centre building works (left).

Find out more about the Pears Maudsley Centre.