PEOPLE facing a mental health crisis who are not able to visit an out-of-hours Safe Haven for support and expert advice because of the coronavirus pandemic are being offered a new, virtual service.

The new mental-health crisis service is being offered by each of the five Safe Havens across Surrey and North East Hampshire.

Staffed by mental-health nurses and practitioners, Safe Havens provide adults in crisis with expert advice and support in the evenings and at weekends.

They are continuing to see people in person from 6pm to 11pm seven days a week, but they are also now offering a virtual service during the same hours.

This means people who are self-isolating or who are in a vulnerable group or shielding – or who may be just very anxious about travelling – will now be able to access help from their nearest Safe Haven without leaving home.

This will help ensure people receive timely support and also avoid unnecessary visits outside of the home, including to A&E.

The Safe Havens – in Epsom, Guildford, Redhill, Woking and Aldershot – are run in partnership between Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and third sector mental health specialists, Catalyst, Andover Mind, Mary Frances Trust and Richmond Fellowship.

They are funded by Surrey and North East Hampshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Stanley Masawi, manager of adults mental health services at Surrey and Borders Partnership, said: “We know there are people who need our support who are not coming forward at the moment because of concerns about contracting the coronavirus.

"They may be in a vulnerable group or they might be shielding a person or they may just be generally very anxious about leaving their home or using public transport to get to a Safe Haven.

"This new virtual Safe Haven service means we can still reach them and provide the support they need.”

Anyone aged 18 or older can access these services by visiting www.sabp.nhs.uk/safehaven and scroll down to find the link to ‘Virtual Safe Havens’.