From Monday 7^th February, Camden Crisis Sanctuary launches as an open-access service for residents of Camden who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Service users can turn up, with no appointment needed and access immediate support.

Commissioned by North Central London NHS Foundation Trust, the service is a safe place for people in mental health crisis to access for support. Hestia hopes that the service will reduce the pressure on local emergency departments by offering an alternative space for those who need immediate mental health support.

The Sanctuary will offer short-term support and work with service users to reduce their immediate anxiety and stress, create a personal safety plan to manage their mental health, and signpost to other services that may be helpful. Additionally, service users can attend the Sanctuary as a place to relax, play games and participate in group activities.

A'ishah Abbasi, Area Manager for the Cove Services said:

"As we emerge from the global pandemic, there is a substantial need for accessible mental health support. Yet there is a growing demand, and with mounting waitlists, we are concerned people won't get help in time.

That's why we are proud to open Hestia's new Camden Crisis Sanctuary to offer an alternative space for people to access free specialist support in the community. The service requires no appointments, and it hopes too reduce the pressure on local emergency departments to allow more contact time with those in crisis.

Camden Crisis Sanctuary is open in the evenings, weekends and bank holidays when other services may be closed. We want residents in Camden to know we are available when they need us."

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If you're experiencing a mental health crisis, our Cove services offers drop-in mental health support to residents aged 18+ in the boroughs of Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon. To find out more about Hestia's mental health provision, please follow this link.