Health Hope Haven mental health facility

A new west Cumbrian mental health facility will have a mobile unit to help reach isolated residents who cannot make it into Whitehaven a committee has this week heard.

Members of Cumberland Council’s health and wellbeing board met at the Civic Centre in Carlisle on Friday (April 4) to receive a presentation from David Storm, an associate director from Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

It concerned the new community wellbeing hub, The Hope Haven in King Street, which is due to launch later this year.

He told members that it was one of six pilot sites across the country and Copeland was chosen because of its higher-than-average suicide rate and isolated rural areas.

Mr Storm said it presented a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to radically redesign the approach to treating mental health and they had stuck to the key principles which are:

Open access, removing referral and discharge and work without criteria;

Enable services to work collaboratively around the person’s needs, designing teams around the person and not fitting the person to teams;

Utilise skills, expertise and access to support from across services rather than defined by what is available within one area;

Enable access to Hub MDT;

Offer continuity to service users;

Connect to local partners and services;

Change the power balance to empower service users’ choices and autonomy;

Rich in peer and carer support.

He said that it will be right in the centre of the town, in a building that used to be a Midland Bank, which will be renovated and be ready for use by the late summer.

He said that the mobile unit, Hope Haven on Wheels, would “serve the local community in more isolated areas of the Cumberland Council area”.

Another facility at the centre, which are described as “hospitality beds”, which are in individual rooms which are available for 72 hours in need.

Mr Storm said they would offer “individualised care” which was available to those, who have not been detained under the mental health act, and added: “It is a place where people can feel safe overnight.”

David Blacklock, the chief executive of Healthwatch Cumberland, observed that one aspect of the new approach was that people would only have to tell their story of what was happening to them once, and he asked how that would work across different shifts?

Mr Storm said there would also be a data protection agreement and would be a conversation at the end of shift handover. He added: “The story will be within the system of Hope Haven.”

Mr Blacklock asked if there were any implications relating to the proposed closure of the Yewdale Ward and Mr Storm said that a recent similar trial in Carlisle had resulted in a reduction of admissions to the NHS facilities. He added: “If you make services easier to access people will use them.”

Councillor Emma Williamson (Kells and Sandwith, Labour), the children’s services, family wellbeing and housing portfolio holder, said there were real worries around the Yewdale decision and added: “If Yewdale does close we are going to have to deal with that.”

Mr Storm said that the NHS England funding was for two-years but Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust was committed to it continuing beyond that period.

According to the report: “The Hope Haven will be a multi-agency collaborative service which supports the community by promoting mental wellbeing 24/7.

“People will be able to access support for mental health experiences and help to identify what areas may trigger or drive their mental health distress.”

According to the report the clinical offer at the centre will be delivered without traditional team and service boundaries but instead will be individually tailored around the person’s needs and priorities.

It adds: “The model will acknowledge level of risk, choice, ownership and will aim to connect the person within their community to achieve improved mental wellbeing and citizenship.”

The report states the recruitment is underway for the multidisciplinary team that and organisers are working to establish in the centre.

It adds: “There will be no referrals and the person presenting will be seen by a suitable member of the team depending on their needs on the day.

“To strengthen the offer available to patients and carers, the model will also be supported by local partner services that historically have sat in silos and out with mental health services, such as council benefits services and citizens advice for example.”