From today, residents across East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen can access mental health help and support by phone at any hour of the day.
Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust has launched the new Freephone line service so that everyone will be able to easily access urgent or general mental health support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The new Freephone number is 0800 013 0707.
According to research, the number of recorded mental illnesses in Blackburn with Darwen is higher than the England average, so a reformed mental health service across East Lancashire is vital.
MORE: Lancashire Telegraph launches weekly mental health column
The call centre setting, based at The Mount, Accrington, is made up of a team of Call Handlers and Mental Health Practitioners who take calls and manage referrals from patients, service users, families, carers and professionals, aiming to ensure callers are connected to the relevant professional.
Caroline Donovan, Chief Executive at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a major improvement for the residents of East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen who need to access help and support from our mental health services.
“This new Freephone number means people will be able to access practical advice and emotional support from qualified nursing staff and where appropriate, access to the right services in a more timely way.
"The team will then decide whether it is best for you to receive support over the phone or for a mental health practitioner to see you at home, at a GP practice or another mutually agreed place to discuss further steps for your mental health needs."
This new approach will help improve access to mental health services – particularly during evenings and weekends – across East Lancashire, where there are more than half a million residents.
The call service is part of a wider programme of work across the health system, to transform access to mental health services for local people and their carers who have a mental health need or are experiencing a mental health crisis.
The Trust has worked with GPs, MPs, representatives from the voluntary sector and other key stakeholders across the health system to develop this approach to make sure it meets the needs of patients and service users.
Caroline continued: “This approach will mean we are better able to meet the varied needs of anyone trying to access mental health support.
"Whether it be an immediate response, routine appointment booking or even advice on how to access additional information, people will be able to call one phone number and receive the response they need.”
In addition, a partnership between Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust and SignVideo, the leading British Sign Language (BSL) video remote interpreting and BSL video relay service provider in the UK, has been formed.
This means people from the deaf community living across East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen are able to access the Trust’s mental health services via the support of an interpreter by visiting the Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust website.
For further information about Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust please visit the website.
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