New date for launch of delayed mental health helpline

The Fylde Coast Initial Response Service (IRS) had been due to start up in summer last year, but has been postponed due to problems with recruitment and a failure to find premises.

Now bosses say clinical staff are in place and will be based at The Harbour mental health hospital on Preston New Road, while the call handling will be run by an existing service instead of setting up a new operation.

Richard Chillery, deputy chief operating officer for Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS, told councillors: “We are looking to launch the Fylde IRS in September.”

Currently there are three helplines operational in the Pennine, Central and West, and The Bay areas of Lancashire.

The call handling for the Fylde coast will be done by Central and West at its call centre based at Royal Preston Hospital.

A report to a meeting of Blackpool Council’s Adult Social Care and Health Scrutiny Committee says: “This will ensure that there is an experienced call handling function, which is already in situ, and that the clinical function will be delivered locally in Fylde.”

Coun Michele Scott said she was concerned about previous delays to the launch of the service.

She said: “It does seem a shame we have fallen to the back of the queue, when we were further up the list. My hope is we will benefit from lessons learned.”

Mr Chillery said there had been recruitment problems but now of the 16 posts needed for the clinical team based at The Harbour, 14 had now been recruited.

He added indicators from existing helplines showed an increase in total referrals but a reduction in referrals to emergency departments “indicating we are getting in earlier when people are less in crisis.”

The IRS will offer a round-the-clock telephone service to assess people’s needs on the spot using a team of trained call handlers backed up by mental health clinicians.

Callers will be able to access immediate help either at the end of the line or in person, book appointments or just get advice.