New helpline goes live to support people’s mental health in Cheshire

Local NHS trust, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP), has launced a new mental health helpline for residents of Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Wirral.

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it is open to people of all ages, including children and young people who need urgent mental health support.

The helpline is part of th NHS Long Term Plan to improve access to mental health support. Originally due to go live next year, it has been fast tracked to be available to support local people during the Covid-19 pandemic.

What to do if you need urgent mental health help:

• Please call 0300 303 3972 and our dedicated local NHS staff will support you to access the help you need;
• The helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is open to all people of all ages – including children and young people;
• The helpline is now the first port of call for mental health help – it is operated by people in your local area who will know how best to support you. If you call NHS111 you may have to wait longer for help and will be redirected to this local service so call 0300 303 3972;
• Please note A&E and 999 are not the best place to get help for the majority of mental health problems – call 0300 303 3972 to be directed to the best local service to support you;
• You should still call 999 or go to A&E if you have an immediate, life threatening emergency requiring mental or physical health assistance;
• For non urgent help and general wellbeing advice, the CWP website contains information and links to resources to support people with anxiety, low mood, and worries relating to the current Covid-19 pandemic http://www.cwp.nhs.uk
• For children and young people there is also a dedicated website http://MyMind.org.uk

Government Covid-19 support for patients

The government have launched a new website for patients to use in finding out what they can get if affected by coronavirus. This service is available to all patients who are seeking advice on topics such as:

• feeling unsafe
• going in to work
• paying bills or being unemployed
• getting food
• having somewhere to live
• mental heath and wellbeing

Links to other mental health and wellbeing support available if you’re worried about your mental heath or someone else’s mental health

• Where to get urgent help for mental health
• Get information on coronavirus and your wellbeing (Mind)
• Looking after your mental health during coronavirus
• Looking after your mental health (NHS)
• Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people