The team at Ashford Safe Haven welcomed local MP Sojan Joseph to the facility to demonstrate how it supports those in need of mental health support.
The service is commissioned by NHS Kent and Medway and delivered by the charity Mental Health Matters, an organisation with 40 years’ experience in providing support services to those with mental health needs.
The safe haven is an out-of-hours mental health crisis service open from 6.30pm to 11.30pm every day, including bank holidays. It's located at the William Harvey Hospital and provides free mental health support to residents aged 18 and over, in a safe, comfortable, and non-judgemental environment.
Mr Sojan Joseph MP said: “It was great to visit the Safe Haven in Ashford. I know from my experience of working in the NHS and the mental health sector how important facilities, such as safe havens, which provide crucial support for so many people, are. Especially at a time when demand for mental health services is higher than ever and reliance on A&E departments is increasing as a result. Facilities like these play an important role in allowing our local healthcare system to function and for people to access the support they require. Seeing the positive work being carried out was very inspiring and I would personally like to thank the staff at the safe haven for taking time out of their busy schedules to show me around the facility.”
The co-located model of mental health crisis havens in Kent is the result of a close partnership between Mental Health Matters (MHM), NHS Kent and Medway, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, SECAmb and Kent Police to make sure people are helped to access the most appropriate support for them.
Co-located safe havens aim to provide the right support in the right place for individuals in crisis. These spaces are designed to be safe, welcoming, and accessible, while also being located closer to specialist services if further support is needed.
MP Sojan Joseph's visit follows a successful presentation last month by MHM and NHS Kent and Medway at NHS Confed Expo, on co-located mental health crisis havens, and the benefits of this model for people undergoing a crisis.
Louise Clack, Deputy Director of Mental Health for NHS Kent and Medway said: “The expansion of Safe Havens represents another important milestone in developing community-based alternatives to traditional clinical models for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis—something that many of us may face at different points in our lives and which should not be conflated with serious mental illness.
"Safe Havens offer a much-needed preventative and therapeutic service, delivered by expert VCSE partners, who specialise in providing compassionate mental health support, de-escalation, and the normalisation of crisis experiences.
"They form a key component of our mental health urgent and emergency care transformation programme, aligned with the NHS Long Term Plan’s ambition to ensure timely and appropriate crisis care. This approach is helping to reduce mental health-related emergency department (ED) attendances and avoidable inpatient admissions, while improving patient experience through accessible, person-centred support rooted in the community.”
Zoe Williams, MHM Crisis Service Manager for the South East, said “The co-located model represents best practice in delivering effective, compassionate alternatives to A&E for those experiencing a mental health crisis. By bringing system partners together, we’re able to offer holistic, person-centred support.”