Crisis aid gets £1.6m ‘windfall’

A £1.6M investment has been approved to develop a mental health crisis care centre and detoxification suite at Harplands Hospital in North Staffordshire - as well as four crisis cafes in the county including one on the Staffordshire Moorlands.

The crisis cafes will support people experiencing mental health problems.

Caroline Donovan, chief executive at

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Harplands Hospital, said: “Currently, people who are having a mental health crisis can feel they have nowhere to go. Very often they will go to A&E because they know it will be open. However, A&ES are staffed and equipped to deal with physical and not mental health emergencies.

A&E also specialises in dealing with immediate life-saving problems and is not there to plan on-going care or assessment.”

Caroline, who also serves as senior responsible owner for TWB’S Mental Health programme, added: “These new specialist facilities will be able to offer more appropriate places for people experiencing crises involving either mental health or substance misuse problems. They will not just see them through the immediate problem but help provide joined-up care once they leave.”

The announcement follows the £8.8m of extra Government money for University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) to fund two new modular wards at Royal Stoke Hospital.

Simon Whitehouse, director of Together

We’re Better, which is the transformation partnership for health and social care across Staffordshire, said:

“The announcement this capital funding is fantastic and I’d like to thank and congratulate everyone who was involved in submitting these successful bids.

“The crisis care centre and the four crisis cafes will greatly support the commitment of our partners to ensuring mental and physical health are given equal value and help our programme to more effectively support people experiencing mental health crisis.”