Woking Safe Haven to pilot a new 24-hour service for mental health crisis

The Woking Safe Haven, one of the five out of hours crisis mental health venues in Surrey, is commencing a pilot scheme to offer a 24-hour service from the 15 February to 31 March 2021. This extended service will provide an alternative to A&E for people in mental health crisis.

Based at the York Road Project’s The Prop in Goldsworth Road, Woking, the Safe Haven will offer the same support as on offer 365 days a year from 6 – 11pm in the Safe Havens. People will be able to access support from a mental health practitioner from Surrey and Borders Partnership (SABP) and two trained Safe Haven workers.

The pilot at Woking Safe Haven will run for 6 weeks. A review will be conducted to see if a 24-hour service should be implemented across other Surrey Safe Havens.

Although based in Woking, this a Surrey-wide initiative accepting people from across the county, mobilised by SABP and Community Connections Surrey – a mental health and emotional wellbeing support service in Surrey from Catalyst Support, Mary Frances Trust and Richmond Fellowship working with partners such as Oakleaf, Woking MIND, YMCA, Esdas and Reigate Stepping Stones.

This is a very exciting development of a service which has proved crucial particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic. It will create additional capacity and give people in crisis an additional and accessible resource but it will not be an alternative to the current day time services.

As part of the COVID-19 response, Safe Havens also offer an online service (Virtual Safe Havens) during opening times so that people can receive expert advice and support without having to leave home.

Safe Havens

Safe Havens offer out of hours support for people experiencing a mental health crisis. There are currently 5 Safe Havens across Surrey and North East Hampshire – Aldershot, Guildford, Woking, Epsom and Redhill.

What they offer:

Professional staff, including mental health practitioners able to carry out mental health assessments if needed
Peer support in a welcoming settingAn appropriate alternative to A&E for those experiencing mental health problems and their carers.

People can visit any of the Safe Havens in Surrey and North East Hampshire. To find out more about where they are located, read our Safe Haven page.

The Safe Havens are run in partnership between Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SABP) and third sector mental health specialists, Catalyst, Andover Mind, Mary Frances Trust and Richmond Fellowship. They are funded by Surrey Heartlands and North East Hampshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Contact Details for Woking Safe Haven providers

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust – SABP
We are providers of mental health, learning disability and drug and alcohol services for people of all ages. We provide a broad range of community and hospital services, mostly in Surrey and North East Hampshire but also extending across Hampshire, Croydon and Sussex. Our high-quality care focuses on enabling people and their carers to live well.
www.sabp.nhs.uk
Twitter: @sabpnhs
Facebook: facebook.com/sabpnhs

Catalyst
Helping People Change for over 30 years – Catalyst works to promote the mental health and wellbeing of people in Surrey, improving lives in terms of stability and wellbeing, with the aim of reducing harm to themselves, their families and the community.
www.catalystsupport.org.uk
Twitter: @CATALYSTethos
Instagram: Catalyst_Support
YouTube: Catalyst Support

Community Connections Surrey – supporting mental health and emotional wellbeing in Surrey
www.communityconnectionssurrey.com
Twitter: @CC_Surrey

Share