A new service for people experiencing mental and emotional distress where they can receive support in a bid to avoid a crisis has opened in Bath.
The two-year pilot aims to see a reduction in admission and readmission rates to acute services and will be leading the development of an important new form of mental health provision in the country.
The Wellbeing House in Bear Flat is an initiative run in partnership by Sirona care & health, a not-for-profit social enterprise providing specialist community health and social care, and housing and support organisation Curo and commissioned by Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group.
Curo provides support to assist people to retrain and regain their independence throughout Bath and North East Somerset and helps over 3,000 people every week.
Paul Wilson, Sirona’s head of mental health services, said: “The support offered will help people stabilise themselves and prevent deterioration into mental health crisis.
“It can ensure their safety and wellbeing and enable them to begin the process of recovery.
“Prevention is always better than cure. If we can stop people entering an acute state of mental illness, for which they may require hospitalisation and medication, then we should.
“Early intervention reduces the severity of people’s mental and emotional distress, increases their prospect of recovery and diminishes the likelihood of recurrence.”
The house is open to all adults resident in Bath and North East Somerset with people able to refer in via a range of health and social care staff.
Harriet Bosnell Director of Health, Care and Support at Curo said: “People at the Wellbeing House have a range of therapeutic offers to help them to stay well and connected to activities and contacts that foster a sense of wellbeing.
“Curo and Sirona are committed to delivering innovative and effective ways which will reduce hospital pressures and work for people who need a boost to promote their wellbeing for them and their families.”
Paul added: “We are working with the local affordable housing provider, Curo, which is a natural partnership.
“They will provide a wonderful, tranquil property, with great views of Bath and a large garden; plus an experienced staff member to help run the facility.
“We want to provide the best possible experience for service users.
“We want to prove that preventative residential provision is better for everyone concerned rather than a stay in hospital.
“The focus is on prevention so people do not need a diagnosis of mental illness. We want people to get better, improve their outlook, skills, social network and employment prospects.”
Dr Ian Orpen, a local GP and Clinical Chair of NHS Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (BaNES CCG) said: “The CCG is doing a lot of work in BaNES to ensure that people’s physical and mental health needs are treated with equal importance.
“I regularly see people in my GP practice who could easily end up requiring a range of complex interventions including hospital admission, if they don’t receive the right support early on which is bad for them and bad for the NHS.
“Therefore, I’m delighted that the CCG is able to provide funding for Sirona and Curo to provide this much needed facility.”
For more information on the service, contact the Community Mental Health Team on 01225 831411.
