Mental Health Crisis Services in Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) provide several Mental Health Services in the county, designed to help those in need of urgent mental health support and they are raising awareness of these services to people who in in Northamptonshire.

NHFT provide several different support options for adults in Northamptonshire who might find themselves, or a family member experiencing a mental health crisis including 24-hour helplines, text support crisis cafes and the crisis response unit

Adam Smith, Director of Mental Health explains what a mental health crisis might look like:

“A mental health crisis may happen for any number of reasons, sometimes it happens completely out of the blue. Other times, there could be a trigger, like a bereavement, relationship breakdown or work-related stress, anything that can heighten stress can feel like a lot to deal with. Some individuals might have an existing mental health condition and experience a mental health crisis, whilst others may never have experienced mental health concerns before.”

A mental health crisis can look and feel different for each individual, but it can include:

• Feeling suicidal (thoughts of ending your life or making plans to do so)
• Feelings of wanting to self-harm, or acting on these feelings
• Being at risk of harm to self or others
• Feeling anxious, experiencing anxiety or having panic attacks (this may feel like a pain in your stomach, feeling tense, finding your breathing is faster or having worrying thoughts)
• Flashbacks or nightmares of past experiences
• Feeling extremely high (an over happy feeling that is different for you), fearing others want to harm you, or hearing voices
• Feeling low in mood that is preventing you from being able to function with day-to-day routines/activities
• Isolating from people
• Feelings of paranoia, feeling like others are watching you, talking about you.

Adam, added: “As an NHS Trust we are committed to providing safe, confidential services which are responsive to the needs of our community. We are here to support you in your time of need whether you need a one-off phone call or ongoing support.”

Mental health crisis services to support you

24-hour mental health phone number, 0800 448 0828 - run in partnership with Northamptonshire Mind, this free helpline is always available, 24:7, every day of the year. Emotional support workers, navigators, nurses and practitioners support individuals when they call the helpline. They can support people with referrals to debt charities, food banks and drug and alcohol teams, through to more specialised mental health support. For service users already known to NHFT services, the team will be able to access the individual care plan for that individual and provide personalised care.

The mental health number text service - Instead of calling, you can text for free on 07480 635531. This means that the deaf community and those who find communication by phone difficult, can access the same support in their own time.

One service user who benefited from the text message service said: “it is integrated with my local NHS, staff can see my records, understand the full picture and act if I’m at real risk. I wouldn’t be here without that.”

Crisis – cafes - NHS workers work alongside Northamptonshire Mind’s support workers to provide safe indoor spaces across the county for individuals to come along, get a hot drink and talk to a member of the team about what is happening for them. Some people drop in and talk through things that are worrying them, whilst some individuals feel really unwell. The teams are trained to provide person-centred care to each individual based on the support they need. At least two crisis cafes are open every day, and they are available in: Corby, Daventry, Kettering, Northampton, Rushden and Welllingborough. The full crisis café timetable can be viewed at www.nhft.nhs.uk/crisis-cafe

Crisis Response Unit- This is a small team of professionals who attend to people in a mental health crisis, within an hour. They take referrals from the East Midlands Ambulance Service, and they can release these teams where there is no physical health need. They also take calls from the mental health number team. They can support service users and carers who are finding themselves in a mental health crisis or supporting someone else.

Adam, concluded by saying: “You never know when you or someone you care for, might find themselves in need of urgent mental health support, and in that moment, you want instant access to support. Pop the mental health number in your phone, 0800 448 0828, and the text service number too - 07480 635531. We are here to support you.”

Find out more about the services available, and watch videos about the services at www.nhft.nhs.uk/mentalhealth