A new community service will offer round-the-clock mental health support in the heart of Whitehaven when it opens later this year.
The hub is being funded by NHS England as part of a drive to provide more mental health support in local communities.
It will be provided by a group of local organisations working in partnership: Cumbria Health; Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW); Everyturn Mental Health; Home Group; iCan Wellbeing Group CIO; The Well Communities CIC; and Whitehaven Community Trust.
Welcoming the announcement, the group said:
“This investment will be life-changing for people in Whitehaven and the surrounding area. It will allow us to transform the way mental health care is provided locally.
“This 24/7 offer will bring together specialist health, social care and community services, so people can get the right help, at the right time.
“We have worked with local people and organisations to get the right people around the table to develop this new service, and we are excited to begin the work to make it a reality, together.”
The Copeland area has the highest suicide rate in England, with 20 people per 100,000 dying by suicide in 2020-22 – double the national rate. Referrals to local mental health services have trebled since 2017.
This much-needed hub will bring together a range of services and staff as one team, under one roof. People who are struggling with their mental health will be able to get specialist, intensive support from NHS services and other local organisations all based in the hub. It will also work closely with existing community support, such as the Whitehaven Family Hub.
The hub will also offer advice on issues which often affect people’s mental health, like housing, money and employment. And there will be support for the families and carers of people who are unwell.
And there will support offered throughout the West Cumbria community, not just in Whitehaven town centre.
Most radically, the hub will offer an alternative to people needing to be admitted to hospital, by providing four short-stay beds for people who need to be supported at the hub for that little bit longer.
The new centre in Whitehaven will be one of six pilots across the country, initially funded for two years by NHS England.
Preparations are underway for the hub to open later this year.