CHASING THE STIGMA 

The NHS Long Term Plan makes a renewed commitment to improve and widen access to care for children and adults needing mental health support. Before and during the pandemic, positive progress has been ....more

The NHS Long Term Plan makes a renewed commitment to improve and widen access to care for children and adults needing mental health support. Before and during the pandemic, positive progress has been made on the expansion of adult crisis and liaison services such as the opening of 24/7 urgent mental health helpline, improvement of crisis alternative support such as crisis cafés, safe havens etc. However, the pandemic also has increased immense pressure on mental health services overall and therefore, it increased the acuity need and number of presentations to crisis and acute services. More people are looking for mental health services and the demand for signposting them to the right services remains an essential task. A&E pressures and particularly waiting times are higher than ever (30-40k MH attendances to ED each month, ~13% of MH patients now waiting above 12hrs), and the Hub of Hope is one of a number of alternative sources of support that we believe is likely to help diverting demand away from 111 / A&E.Developed by the charity Chasing the Stigma (CTS) the Hub of Hope (HoH) digital platform is a mental health signposting tool (website and mobile app) that is now the biggest and most comprehensive publicly available database of local mental health support. It has particular value in bringing together non-statutory services such as peer support groups that are highly valued by people, but are not held in a directory anywhere else. It is particularly unique as it has been developed from a lived experience perspective and therefore designed intuitively for people who may be feeling suicidal and seeking to know that there is support available and what type of support is likely to be most helpful a perspective that statutory bodies have traditionally failed to do well.Using a postcode search, web browsers or mobile devices location, the free app and website can pinpoint the nearest, local mental services anywhere in the UK, within both the NHS and across the third sector.The app also lists alternative resource to support people experiencing a mental health crisis, including a direct link to the Samaritans as well as a new, 24/7 crisis text service in partnership with Crisis Text Line, among other national bodies. All local NHS mental health crisis lines are also included prominently.CTS has made major strides in filling a gap in the sector that had not been achieved by any major statutory or other mental health organisation.

"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to ....more

"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to operate, thereby reducing the burden on public services.2) To ensure essential services are provided to vulnerable people, both in the short and long term through increased community support through the work of charitable organisations."