Staying Well, West Sussex Mind's out-of-hours crisis support service in Worthing, now offers walk-ins for people who are experiencing a mental health crisis and need urgent help.
The Worthing-based mental health charity has changed its evenings and weekends service to allow walk-ins, so that over-18s in West Sussex can get support with their mental health without needing to first make an appointment.
Staying Well is run by a team of mental health and peer support workers in partnership with the local NHS with the aim of helping people build skills to reduce emotional and psychological distress.
People experiencing a mental health crisis can now drop into Staying Well's central Worthing location at Methold House and get help from a team of mental health workers, including an NHS mental health practitioner.
A spokesperson for the centre said:
"Staying Well is a relaxed and welcoming environment where people in urgent need can find non-judgemental support for their mental health and benefit from peer support from staff with lived experience. They can get help on their path towards recovery and find out about other services and organisations that may be able to help them."
West Sussex Mind chief executive, Kerrin Page, said:
“We’ve made this important change to our service in partnership with SPFT, so that people can get the right help at the right time with their mental health.
"This is in response to the growing need for support in the communities we serve and increased demand on mental health services. Having a walk-in facility with an NHS clinician available reduces pressure on A&E and better serves the needs of people who are in crisis.”
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Staying Well in Worthing is a co-delivered service, led by West Sussex Mind working in partnership with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT), and it is one of five Staying Well crisis support centres across Sussex.
Staying Well Worthing is at Methold House, North Street, Worthing BN11 1DU. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 5pm to 10.30pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 12 noon to 10.30pm.