Staff shortages at the Richmond Fellowship has meant the NHS Isle of Wight CCG has had to step in to ensure Safe Haven services – for those with mental health issues – are provided over the Christmas and New Year period.
The Richmond Fellowship announced last week that it would be unable to provide services for the rest of the year.
Sue Lightfoot, Head of Commissioning Mental Health, Learning Disability and Dementia at NHS Isle of Wight CCG, said:
“This situation is very worrying for anyone using this service, and also difficult for the staff at Richmond Fellowship, who are committed to offering people the best possible support.
“We are actively working with Richmond Fellowship now to make sure a service, albeit with reduced hours, continues to operate – safely – over the coming weeks, to ensure that support is still available to those in need. Existing staff from other Richmond Fellowship services have volunteered to work extra hours to offer this support.”
Where to get help
Sue went on to add,
“There are of course other sources of support available, including the Community Mental Health Team crisis line 01983 522214, or the Samaritans on Freephone 116 123, but the Safe Haven plays an important role and we hope it can continue.
“Looking further ahead, we are also working with Richmond Fellowship to recruit new members of staff so that the service can quickly be returned to a sustainable footing. This recruitment is under way already and we expect the Safe Haven to be operating a full service in the New Year.”
The CCG have produced this useful guide should you or someone you know need support over the festive period.
Click on image to see larger version
We would like to thank you for your ongoing patience and support during the recent interruptions in service.
We recognise that this is a particularly difficult time of year for some people and want to ensure that support is available when you need it. We have worked with staff members and partners to confirm that the Newport Safe Haven will be open during the festive period to provide support.
We will be open for the hours indicated in green above for both calls and a drop-in service.
On Tuesday 1 and Thursday 3 a limited service may be running and we would encourage calling the Safe Haven first on the number below.
If you experience a mental health crisis outside of our opening hours, please contact the NHS Isle of Wight Trust Mental Health Crisis Line for help.
