Edinburgh Crisis Centre Opens Doors Of New Home

The Edinburgh Crisis Centre will celebrate the official opening of its new, permanent location at 4 Smiths Place in Leith today.

The Centre provides a much-needed 24 hour telephone help line 365 days of the year to people in Edinburgh aged 18 and over who use or have used mental health services and their carers. Centre staff are trained to listen, offer emotional support to callers and use the Crisis Centre resources to assist people in developing a plan to resolve their crisis. The Centre also provides a safe, private space for people in distress and one-to-one support from staff. Visits can be organised via the free phone number. In addition the Centre has its own website with resources and information about mental health.

Jointly commissioned and funded by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Health and Social Care Department and NHS Lothian, the Centre has also received financial support from the Scottish Executive. It is overseen by a partnership group involving Edinburgh Users Forum, Edinburgh Carers Council and Penumbra, as well as the two funding agencies.

Cllr Paul Edie, Convener for Health and Social Care said: “The Edinburgh Crisis Centre is a unique and important service for the people of Edinburgh and I am delighted that it has now moved in to its permanent location. When people need help, it’s important they can get it day or night. The Centre is an excellent example of partnership working between local government, health services, service users, carers and voluntary organisations. It is also the first of its kind in Scotland.”

Jackie Sansbury, Director of Strategic Planning and Modernisation, NHS Lothian, said: “This is very good news for the Edinburgh Crisis Centre and the move will allow this excellent and innovative service to further develop for the benefit of the local community. It is important that we provide mental health services which meet the varied and specific needs of people in Edinburgh and the Centre’s philosophy of promoting recovery and empowerment complements existing services.”

Keith Maloney, a Co-ordinator at CAPS, an independent advocacy organisation for people who use, or have used mental health services said: “CAPS welcomes the opening of the Edinburgh Crisis Centre’s new premises and looks forward to the expansion to the full service, as planned, later this year to provide an innovative facility in Scotland. The Centre is the result of more than 10 years of lobbying and campaigning by members of the Edinburgh Users Forum, for early intervention and support for individuals who are beginning to experience crisis and need somewhere to go where they can feel safe and talk through their problems with others.”

www.edinburghcrisiscentre.org.uk
Freephone: 0808 801 0414
Textphone: 0808 801 0415