Community mental health centres to 'destigmatise' accessing support

New Health Secretary Yvette Cooper made the announcement from Sheffield, where she visited one of the pilots for this scheme, in Gleadless Valley.

A raft of new mental health centres are to open in libraries, banks and other high street locations to get people “support earlier closer to home”.

New Health Secretary Yvette Cooper made the announcement from Sheffield, where she visited one of the pilots for this scheme, in Gleadless Valley.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’ve been talking to some of the health professionals working here, some of the voluntary sector people working here but also local residents as well about what it means.

“The impact it can have is preventing people reaching mental health crisis, intervening early.”

There are currently six community-based mental health centres in England, one of which is part of the Terry Wright Community Centre and Newfield Green Library in Gleadless Valley, a deprived area in the south of Sheffield.

The Government will now roll out a raft of new community centres - one of which will be in Hull - to offer walk-in support without requiring a referral with patients having to wait for months.

Four sites in North Yorkshire and one in Sheffield are being expanded to provide these services.

The Health Secretary added: “These centres are particularly for adults, and that can include adults who have a whole range of both mental health conditions, but also other kinds of disabilities, and also ensure that there’s work as well to help people in different ways.

“Alongside that, we’re rolling out mental health support in schools as well, so that you have all different kinds of help, early intervention, because that’s what makes the difference.”

Demand for mental health services has risen sharply, particularly among children and young people, with around one in five people experiencing a common mental health condition each year.

Dame Diana Johnson, a new health minister, told The Yorkshire Post that the idea was to “destigatise” accessing mental health support.

“This is a major reconfiguration of mental health services,” she explained.

“I think this is really important because it’s about making sure that people with severe mental health illnesses are able to access the support as soon as they need it and don’t have to wait to be referred through a GP.”

She cited the importance of the location of the community centres, like in Gleadless Valley, which is next to the library in a row of shops.

“That’s important because it destigmatises mental health conditions, because it’s in the community and it’ll be available for people to just walk in if they need help,” the Hull North and Cottingham MP explained.

“It’s about bringing together all the NHS provision that that person needs, but also working alongside other partners, like the voluntary and community sector, housing providers and employers.

“It’s as early as possible, getting people the help they need in the community.”

The Government is also creating dedicated mental health emergency departments in St James' University Hospital, in Leeds, the Barnsley District General Hospital and the Longley Centre, in Sheffield, as well as sites in Wakefield and Hull.

Dame Diana explained how busy A&Es were not appropriate places for people “having a mental health crisis”.

“The emergency departments around mental health will be close to A&Es, but will be very focused on providing the help and assistance that person needs,” she explained.

“We have a number of these in operation around the country, but we want to expand these as we think this is a much better way of supporting people and giving them the help they need.”