A walk-in out-of-hours mental health service in Crawley is extending its opening hours to help more people access support when they need it.
From Tuesday, 1 September, Crawley Staying Well, near County Oak Retail Park, will be open from 3pm until midnight every day of the year.
The service is co-delivered by Waythrough and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and is designed to offer an alternative to attending A&E for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
It is an open-access service, meaning people do not need an appointment and can attend during opening hours if they feel they are at breaking point or in urgent need of support.
Crawley Staying Well is staffed by mental health workers and peer support workers.
Alongside face-to-face help, the service also offers virtual drop-in sessions and group support, giving people different ways to access help.
Jason Collins, Crawley Staying Well Service Manager, said: “It is so important that people are able to access timely and appropriate support when they are experiencing a mental health crisis.
“We know that A&Es are not the right environment for someone who is in crisis. That is why we are so pleased to be able to provide an alternative, and by extending our opening hours at Crawley Staying Well we will be able to help even more people when they need it.”
The extended hours come as wider changes are being made to mental health crisis care across Sussex.
NHS England announced plans last year to establish mental health emergency departments around the country to help reduce pressure on acute hospitals.
Three are planned for Sussex, with sites in Eastbourne, Brighton and either Chichester or Worthing.
The changes form part of wider work to improve community mental health support and reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments.
Other ways people can access mental health support include texting SUSSEX to 85258 or calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option.
For more information about Staying Well, go to: www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/staying-well
Get the latest ALERTS for BREAKING NEWS in the SOUTH on your phone by downloading the V2 RADIO APP today!
V2VOUCHERS.CO.UK is offering half-price deals on a wide range of experiences across the South, from meals out at local restaurants to tickets for some of the region’s biggest events.
Housing costs and lack of career opportunities threaten young people’s future in Adur, Arun and Worthing
Chichester MP calls for action as fewer than 6% of Sussex burglaries result in charge or summons
St Leonards woman acquitted of drug dealing offences
Original props from new D-Day film Pressure go on display in Portsmouth
Sussex reptile rescue launches urgent appeal for permanent home
Newport heritage attractions to open free as part of Heritage Open Days
Horsham families offered support as back-to-school costs reach hundreds of pounds
Sussex researchers explore virtual reality to help ease pain for advanced cancer patients
Memorials policy revised in Brighton and Hove
Abuser jailed after assaulting woman in West Sussex
On Air