New wellbeing services for adults in Gloucestershire

After a six week consultation, Gloucestershire County Council's Cabinet have decided to introduce new mental wellbeing support for adults in the region.

Back in 2020, a temporary mental wellbeing service provided extra support during the height of the pandemic, and new funding has since been secured to continue supporting people on a long-term basis.

12 years ago, in 2010, the County Council also funded a separate Self Harm Helpline, which offers anonymous support by phone, webchat or text - but the contract for this is coming to an end in March next year.

Earlier this year, a consultation was carried out to find our what people in Gloucestershire thought about combining the stand alone help for self harm, into an expanded, new, mental wellbeing helpline for adults.

An overwhelming majority of the 565 responses supported the proposals for a new service, which would provide anonymous support on a drop-in basis for people experiencing mild-moderate issues with their mental and emotional wellbeing, such as anxiety, stress, or low mood; alongside support for self-harm.

The service will be available without a referral from a professional.

Cllr Nick Housden, cabinet member for public health and communities, said, “Following our consultation, we found there is a need for people to be able to access support early, when they first notice changes in their emotional wellbeing or start to find things difficult.

"The need for mental health support has increased in recent years both nationally and locally, so it is vital we get it right to make a positive difference to the mental wellbeing of people in Gloucestershire"

Support for self-harm will still be available for under 18s when the contract for the current helpline ends.

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