Northumberland's first mental health 'safe haven' to open in Ashington next year

A site has been identified in Ashington, with the service set to be designed to be as welcoming as possible and with input from people with “lived experience” of mental health issues.

The work is being led by Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health services across the North East and Cumbria. However, the service will be operated by the voluntary sector.

Trained staff will be on hand to support individuals after hours and promote recovery away from secondary and acute mental health care.

Speaking at Thursday’s meeting of Northumberland County Council’s health and wellbeing board, Pam Travers, the group director for the North Locality at CNTW, explained how the service would work and what has already gone into it.

She said: “We have a few of these in Cumbria but not many in the North East. We received £300,000 in capital funding a couple of months ago and we have already been able to identify some accommodation in Ashington.

“Virtual and digital options are also very much on the table going forward. We’re looking to the third sector to run this and there are a number of providers who would be really well suited, but we want to make sure we work together with the provider and make sure the individuals are safe.

“We’re looking to provide a welcoming, non-clinical environment for people who are experiencing physiological distress. The team will work when everybody else has gone home, so from 5-6 o’clock to 12-1 o’clock.

“We want to have a non-medical environment where people feel comfortable having those conversations.”

The next steps involve developing the staffing and provider models, as well as completing some building work that needs to go on at the site. CNTW expect that everything will be in place by the start of the new financial year in April.

Cllr Wendy Pattison, cabinet member for adult wellbeing, was thrilled with the news.

Speaking at the meeting, she said: “It is just wonderful to know that our residents can go there after hours if they’re feeling low. The aim is to have more scattered around the county.

“I just can’t thank CNTW and partners enough. It is just amazing.”

However Amanda Bailey, the boards third sector health and wellbeing representative, said other costs would have to be considered.

She said: “We need the revenue funding. One of the biggest problems is getting people to the service, because transport at weekends and in the evening.

“We really need revenue funding to get people to this Ashington site.”

Mrs Travers said discussions around the issue were ongoing and pointed out that the service would have digital options to take Northumberland’s vast size into account.

Cllr Pattison added: “I would like one in Blyth, I would like one in Berwick and I would like one in Hexham.”