The new Safe Haven Coventry and Warwickshire service will provide community-based, non-clinical support for those who have feelings of mental health and emotional distress.
Designed for residents age 16+years across Coventry and Warwickshire, and for those times when life challenges start to overwhelm and impair daily living, the service will provide open access drop-in support and will supplement existing NHS mental health crisis or emergency care by increasing the ways in which local residents can access mental health support. It will also help relieve pressure on other mental health services by allowing for earlier interventions.
Building on the existing Safe Haven provision that started in 2018, Coventry and Warwickshire Mind will be expanding the service to better support under-served communities and, following review and wider engagement with local service users, develop aspects of the service to meet identified needs such as easier navigation, more widely accessible face-to-face support, and a ‘no-appointment-necessary’ approach.
The service takes a ‘single front door’ approach so access to this all-age service will be through a single phone number, a single website and open-access drop-in venues.
The new service, which starts on Saturday 1st July 2023, is commissioned by NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board and is being operated by Coventry and Warwickshire Mind.
Dr Angela Brady, Chief Medical Officer, NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board, said:
“The expansion of the Safe Haven service is a vital part of the mental health support that people across Coventry and Warwickshire need. By operating a drop-in service with no appointment necessary, we are able to offer support to those who are having challenges with their mental health or are experiencing emotional distress when they need it in a way that is accessible and focussed on what matters most to them. No issue is too small or too large. We have already seen the impact this service has had over the past few years, and this expansion will further increase the support offered to our local population.”
Responding to the NHS Long Term Plan aim of increasing the range of locally available support for those in mental health crisis, the Safe Haven service provides crisis intervention that helps to de-escalate, give back control, stabilise thoughts and actions and prevent further deterioration. When left unsupported, this deterioration affects relationships, can lead to avoidance, isolation and distress, and can lead to suicide ideation.
Safe Haven’s crisis intervention is at the right time and in the right place – accessible when other services might otherwise be unavailable. Local residents who access support can expect:
- Respectful, compassionate, short-term interventions
- A positive relationship-based experience, enabling honest discussion and making space to explore further support.
- A safe, caring, non-clinical environment – informal, open, accessible for all, with no appointment required.
- Open-access support for as often or as little as required.
- A staff team, experienced in delivering mental health support, bringing understanding and helping to remove stigma.
The service will help provide:
- Crisis de-escalation
- Emotional support and help with planning.
- Face-to-face, one-to-one support
- Peer-led support
- Accessible activities
- Light refreshments
- Information and signposting
Councillor Margaret Bell, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health, said:
"Caring for our residents’ mental health is a top priority for the council: it is an investment in the overall health and happiness of our communities. Expanding the Safe Haven provision will ensure that more people are able to access the right mental health support when they need it, especially those who are currently finding it more difficult to request or receive help.”
Councillor Kamran Caan, portfolio holder for Public Health and Sport at Coventry City Council said:
“The new Safe Haven is a brilliant and more accessible service and we are very conscious of the impact of untreated poor mental health on people and their families locally. We have a clear strategy in Coventry which aims to improve the response from all agencies and remove barriers which prevent some residents from seeking the help they need. At the Council we encourage anyone who is feeling low, distressed or overwhelmed to visit the Safe Haven in the city or neighbouring sites across the border in Warwickshire to get the mental health support they need. We want residents know that they can walk in any time during opening hours with carers and family members also welcome. We all struggle to cope from time to time, so it is important to remember you are not alone.”
Safe Havens can provide a more suitable alternative to A&E for many people experiencing mental health crisis – usually for people whose needs are escalating to crisis point but who do not necessarily have medical needs that require A&E admission. Safe Haven Coventry and Warwickshire will foster relationships with NHS crisis services, primary care services, Ambulance services, and other voluntary and community organisations – helping to reduce pressure on acute and emergency services and support overall better wellbeing for residents.
The Safe Haven Coventry and Warwickshire service, in brief:
- Available from 6pm–11pm, seven-days-a-week, all through the year.
- A dedicated local-dial telephone phone number (024) 7601 7200
- A dedicated website www.cwsafehaven.org.uk
- Emailing support@cwsafehaven.org.uk
- Updates and service news on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn – search for @cwsafehaven
Face-to-face, open-access drop-in venues, offering one-to-one and peer group opportunities:
- Starting on Saturday 1st July at The Retreat, Bond Street, Nuneaton, available seven evenings a week.
- By the end of July 2023, at Wellington Gardens, Windsor Street, Coventry, available seven evenings a week.
- Due October 2023, further venues in Rugby (two evenings a week) and Coleshill (one evening a week).
- Due in November 2023, venues in Stratford-upon-Avon (two evenings a week) and Warwick (two evenings a week).