Warwickshire mental health service expands to make accessing support easier
Residents will be able to use a dedicated phone number and website
Residents in Warwickshire in need of support with their mental health and emotional wellbeing will have access to a more streamlined service, making it easier for people to get the right support at the right time.
The already established Wellbeing for Warwickshire service, which has been running for six years across the county, will be expanding its service offer from 2 April to make it simpler for people to access the most appropriate support by going through ‘one-front door’.
Designed to provide innovative and flexible, low-level and early intervention support for people aged 16 or over living in Warwickshire or registered with a Warwickshire-based GP, the service will now provide a single point of entry via a dedicated phone number and website.
People accessing the service will receive tailored support to meet their needs which may include:
• 24/7 telephone support line – available 365 days a year
• A dedicated website – www.wellbeingforwarwickshire.org.uk – hosting information, guidance and signposting links with a ‘live chat’ function to follow soon
• An anonymous and safe digital mental health service for one-to-one counselling (booked in advance or accessed via a drop-in instant text-based chat), self-help articles, forums, and discussion boards
• Drop-in venues at seven locations across Warwickshire
• Opportunities for one-to-one sessions
• Training and learning around mental wellbeing
Building on the success of the existing service, this enhanced offering commissioned by Warwickshire County Council (WCC), brings in a number of additional organisations who will work in partnership to deliver an improved journey for those using the service.
The partnership consists of Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, South Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind, KeyRing, Connect Assist and Kooth Plc (for Qwell and Kooth services).
The key focus for the mental health and wellbeing service is on providing support in the community to prevent those who may be struggling to cope from reaching crisis point.
By drawing on the collective strengths of the partners, the aim is to provide a more streamlined and ‘joined-up’ support service that can meet a number of needs in a way, and a time and a place, that suits people best. For ease of use, the service has a single phone number 0800 616171 and a single website address www.wellbeingforwarwickshire.org.uk and these are available for Warwickshire residents 24/7, 365 days a year.
Warwickshire County Councillor Margaret Bell, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health said:
“The enhanced service being offered by Wellbeing for Warwickshire will complement other mental health services in the area such as the Safe Havens, out-of-hours crisis support and NHS services.
“Whilst this support has been in place for some time in Warwickshire, bringing delivery together with this partnership approach is a new way of working for us. It responds to local need as identified from customer feedback and joint service assessments with health.
“We want people who need mental health support to be able to access the right services more quickly and more easily and this will allow them to do that through one contact over the phone, online or face-to-face.”