In response to changing commissioning priorities and the maturing of place-based infrastructures, CREST is evolving. The service is transitioning from a regional West Yorkshire footprint to a more localised, Leeds-focused offer. Over the course of 2025/26, the regional model will give way to strengthened local provision, with care increasingly delivered by local community rehabilitation teams in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.
This shift aligns with the wider health system strategy of delivering rehabilitation and recovery closer to home. CREST is partway through a carefully planned and person-centred process of transferring service users back to their local teams, ensuring continuity of care and clinical oversight throughout.
Within Leeds, the learning and clinical expertise developed through CREST will be retained and enhanced through an updated, place-based community rehabilitation model hosted by LYPFT - referred to as the Complex Psychosis Pathway.
As you may be aware, over the past four years CREST has supported individuals with complex rehabilitation mental health needs to transition from hospital to community living. Established in 2020, following extensive consultation with service users, carers, and stakeholders, the service was created to help people move out of locked rehabilitation units, often far from home, and into supported accommodation closer to friends, family and familiar surroundings.
Initially designed as a West Yorkshire-wide community rehabilitation and intensive support team, CREST has worked across place-based boundaries. It has fostered strong, collaborative relationships with local and independent sector inpatient providers, accommodation services, physical healthcare teams, criminal justice partners, and the voluntary sector. These partnerships have been instrumental in safely repatriating service users and helping them stabilise in the community and will continue forward to work cooperatively with place based teams.