Short-stay flats open for mental health patients

It is hoped the four flats will provide a safe haven for local people who are struggling with mental health issues

A mental health organisation is providing short-stay flats for local people who require additional support, but do not need hospital treatment.

Hope Haven, which connects people with mental health support services in west Cumbria, has made available four flats in Whitehaven described as "a space in which to stabilise".

The flats will be managed by the Home Group, who said the additional support could make "a major difference" to people living in the area.

"Having a space here in the community, which is a short-term step outside of needing hospitalisation, ensures we have more options available to provide people with the care and support their situation needs," said James Varah.

"A lot of this support can be done through the sessions Hope Haven runs, or face-to-face conversations, but it is vital we recognise that some people will require more intensive support, or a space in which to stabilise," said Mr Varah, the Home Group's senior operations manager.

'Welcoming and homely'

Hope Haven provides support and wellbeing activities around the Whitehaven and Copeland area.

The organisation is partnered with a number of organisations, including the Home Group and Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).

In collaboration with its partners, Hope Haven runs a range of sessions around health, wellbeing, financial and housing support from Whitehaven's Senhouse Centre.

One-to-one support is also available, and a "virtual safe haven" offering same-day online appointments with support workers launched last week.

The partnership is also in the process of establishing a new community wellbeing hub in Whitehaven, envisaged as drop-in base for local people to receive help and advice regarding their mental health.

The provision of short-stay accommodation in Whitehaven is one of six pilot schemes nationally, funded by NHS England, and focused on providing more mental health and wellbeing support directly in local communities.

CNTW's deputy chief executive Dr Rajesh Nadkarni said he had visited the flats and found them "warm, welcoming and homely".

"Going into hospital can be very disruptive and difficult for some people when they need support with their mental health - but at the moment, in many places, there isn't always a good, safe alternative," he said.

He added the flats should lead to fewer people being admitted to hospital "because we will be able to assess and support them quickly in their local area".

It follows criticism of the trust's decision to close Yewdale Ward, an in-patient facility for those with acute mental health challenges at the West Cumberland Hospital earlier this year.