Spalding charity teams up with NHS Neighbourhood Team for mental health project expansion

Spalding based Health and well-being charity Tonic Health and the South Lincolnshire NHS Neighbourhood Team are leading a collaborative mental health project between statutory services and the community across South Lincolnshire with funding to provide an expansion of the current Safe Places mental health project, hopefully to include a specific Safe Places centre in Spalding which will be open 7 days a week as a drop in centre.

Once social restrictions have been lifted, local cafés and organisations across the area will become accredited Safe Places and each centre will see their staff trained in Mental Health First Aid to provide a listening ear to anyone locally who requires some support and assistance.

The funding will also see a triage system to either a further video group or the one-to-one telephone support service led by Mental Health First Aid qualified individuals, or other suitable qualified organisations.

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A spokesperson for Tonic Health, said: "The aim of the funding is to provide more local community settings for people to access with low-level mental health issues, in an attempt to get the help the person requires quicker and reduce the number of visits to GP surgeries or A&E with non medical interventions such as support with housing, debt management, social isolation and loneliness.

"The centres will be open throughout the day and in time will include early evening and weekends, ensuring that there is somewhere available in South Lincolnshire for people to access support.

"The service will not replace statutory clinical interventions, and is suited to those experiencing forms of anxiety, depression, loneliness and isolation where a friendly face, warm welcome and a chat may just be what they need to help them through their day."

Each Safe Place will be open to the public as usual, but staff and volunteers will set aside time if someone requires help or support.

No appointment is necessary - individuals can drop in during opening hours and they don’t have to be referred by any organisations or services, nor is there a set number of times people can access the service and they can attend any café which is convenient to them.

This service is part of the county-wide Mental Health Matters Telephone Support Service – available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and manned by NHS Mental Health professionals. Should people who call this number require a more local follow-up service, and are based in South Lincolnshire, they will be referred into the Safe Places program. The dedicated mental health hotline is 0800 0014331.

Due to current lockdown restrictions, the Safe Places project will continue to offer a weekly Zoom group meet, scheduled on Tuesdays at 4.30pm.

For further information, please contact Ruth Taplin, Safe Places co-ordinator, on 07579 033347 or visit www.tonic-health.co.uk