A café for people in mental health crisis is a finalist in the Kate Granger Awards for Compassionate Care – and Catalyst is involved. The Safe Haven Project at the Time Out Café in the Wellbeing Centre, Aldershot was set up to provide a calm and safe atmosphere where people can access the help they need in a friendly and non-clinical setting.
Launched in March 2014 in direct response to research asking why people went to A&E with mental health problems. It concluded people wanted a physical place to go, out of hours, where they could get help and advice. With funding from NHS North East Hampshire and Farnham CCG, the café is run jointly by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, MCCH and Catalyst (formerly SAdAS).
The café is a ‘normal’ welcoming space for people to go to sit quietly with a cup of coffee, meet others and also have access to community information on mental health and wellbeing. If they need to, they can access a mental health assessment. Have a look at the film
And it is working – since the café opened, admissions to mental health hospitals in the area have reduced – and a number of people have said that the Safe Haven has prevented them from self-harming or taking their own life.
Five more cafes in Surrey and Hampshire are being considered to offer this crucial support to more people.
Winners of the Award will be announced in early September at the Health and Innovation Care Expo in Manchester.