A NEW unit to get people assessed quickly when they turn up to A&E with mental health problems has opened.

East Lancashire Hospitals Trust and Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust have collaborated on the £800,000 unit next to the emergency department at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Lancashire and South Cumbria trust chief executive Caroline Donovan said: “We really want to make sure that people who are in crisis with their mental health are able to access the help they need immediately.

"We have been working closely with colleagues at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust to develop an improved environment for service users and provide a safe space for them to access support.”

The unit has been named the John Hewitt Suite in memory of a mental health liaison team manager who died in 2019.

Ms Donovan said: "John was dedicated to improving the pathway for people with mental illness and reducing the stigma of mental illness overall so for this centre to be named after him is a wonderful legacy for John and his family.”

The unit is one of several mental health urgent assessment centres being created across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

It will complement the unit in operation at the Royal Preston Hospital and new units will open at Blackpool Teaching Hospital and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

Meanwhile, staff at Royal Blackburn hope the unit will provide a much more appropriate space for people with mental health needs, with the hospital having been particularly busy in recent times due to a shortage of beds during the coronavirus crisis.

Sharon Gilligan, chief operating officer for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “By working closely with our colleagues we are delighted that the residents of Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen can benefit from this modern facility.

“The new unit will be instrumental in enabling the trust to give the best care to people attending with a mental health crisis.

"Our emergency department is extremely busy and is not the best environment for someone experiencing mental health crisis.

"The new unit will provide a much improved experience for service users.”

In the last few years some patients presenting with mental health problems have had to stay at A&E in Blackburn for several hours or even days because of a lack of mental health bed available to them.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Trust has also launched a mental health crisis line which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Those in need of support can get in touch by calling 0800 953 0110 where they will receive a mental health assessment and referral to services.