Safety Hub wins NHS Excellence Award for Neighbourhood Health

We’re thrilled to announce that the Rethink Mental Illness Counselling Service at the Safety Hub (Suicide Prevention) service in Bishop Auckland has been named the Regional Winner in the Neighbourhood Health category at the NHS Excellence Awards. 

This recognition is a testament to the power of partnership and the impact we can have when we work together.

The Safety Hub located in County Durham is delivered in partnership with TEWV NHS Foundation Trust, The Angel Trust, Durham County Council and Durham Police and Crime Commissioners Office. 

The partners came together after recognising a local need, acknowledging the impacts this was having on the community and its statutory services. 

It was clear that something needed to be done to support a shift from treatment to prevention, and from hospital to community. Which led the partners to design and fund a unique pilot model, unlike any counselling service in the country, to create a lifeline for people struggling with suicidal thoughts, offering care navigation, crisis counselling, short term counselling and practical support. 

Initial referral sources included Durham Police, walk in self-referrals and referrals from The Angel Trust's Night Hub, offering a night time safe space for people who were homeless and being discharged from hospital.

In its first year, 65 people accessed crisis counselling with no waiting list, and 75% saw a reliable improvement in their distress. Every person who used the service left their first session with a safety plan and the tools to reach out for help. 

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with one person saying, “I was straight in with a counsellor and this actually saved my life.”

We know that mental illness can affect anyone, and the right support at the right time can be life-changing. That’s why we’ve worked hard to secure ongoing funding for a further 12 months through the partnership. Whilst looking at how the Safety Hub model can be expanded to reach even more people across the region. 

Our vision is a future where no one faces mental health crisis alone, and this award brings us one step closer to making that a reality.