Please see the below petition from Brighton Wellbeing Hub, who have refered many people to Menopause and Mind over the years and provided a vital space for people to find community and support.
The current plans will reduce the Hub from five days a week of structured support and activities to just six hours a week, with no group programme. For people with moderate to severe mental health challenges, this is not a minor change — it is the loss of a lifeline.
Run by the not-for-profit Southdown under UOK Brighton & Hove, the Wellbeing Hub provides consistent therapeutic support, community, and stability. While wider Sussex mental health services are being redesigned due to budget pressures, these cuts disproportionately and severely impact existing Hub clients. Proposed satellite services across Sussex cannot replace the depth of support or sense of safety the Hub provides.
There is no meaningful transition plan for current clients. Many report feeling devastated and unsafe, and fear their mental health will deteriorate — increasing reliance on already overstretched crisis services.
We call on Southdown, UOK Brighton & Hove, Brighton & Hove City Council, and NHS Sussex to:
- Reject the current proposals to drastically reduce the Wellbeing Hub’s services
- Fund safe and gradual transitions for existing clients
- Fully consult staff, clients, and people with lived experience for a genuinely co-produced approach
- Monitor and publish the impact on client wellbeing and crisis services
Preventative mental health support saves lives and reduces pressure on emergency services. These cuts must be halted.
Menopause and Mind 
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