WHERE TO GO FOR MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS SUPPORT DECEMBER 2024
A&E departments across Greater Manchester continue to be very busy. If you or someone you know experiences a mental health crisis, or needs urgent mental health support, please consider one of the alternative mental health crisis services which are available.
24/7 Support from 111
Urgent mental health support
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or something that makes you feel severely unsafe, distressed, or worried about your mental health, you can now contact your local crisis service in Bolton, Salford, Trafford, Manchester, Wigan and Leigh by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option.
What happens when I call NHS 111?
The phone will be answered by a trained mental health professional who will be able to listen to your concerns and help you get the support you need. A mental health crisis is as severe as a physical health crisis, it’s important to get the help you need.
For people living in our boroughs, the service is still provided by our helpline colleagues and the existing number will remain until further notice. You can still call our 24/7 crisis mental health helpline on: 0800 953 0285 (freephone).
With your permission, helpline colleagues can also access your electronic patient records to better meet your needs and to avoid you repeatedly having to tell us your situation.
They can offer advice over the phone, put you in contact with crisis services or refer you to the following support services:
Crisis Cafés
Community spaces across Greater Manchester known as ‘Crisis Cafés’ or ‘Listening Lounges’ offer a safe, comfortable, and confidential environment for anyone over the age of 18, who is feeling low, anxious, struggling with negative thoughts, or just wants to talk to someone during evenings or weekends.
The spaces offer support and advice from trained mental health workers in a relaxed environment, providing visitors with safe out of hours mental health support, whilst also taking pressure off emergency services, including busy A&E Departments, especially during the winter months.
The hubs are delivered by voluntary community and social enterprise partners supported by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) and, they are based in six locations across Greater Manchester – Bolton, Manchester City Centre, Harpurhey, Salford, Trafford, and Wigan.
An individual who previously accessed support at one of the Crisis Cafés said, the team were“calming and reassuring” and finding the service was “just what I needed at just the right time.”
Locations, opening times, and contact details for the Crisis Cafés and Listening Lounges in Greater Manchester are as follows:
Bolton Listening Lounge, in partnership with 1point North West
Silverwell House, 1 Silverwell Lane, Bolton BL1 1QN
Open: Monday to Sunday, 3pm to 1am
Contact: Please call 01204 917739 ahead of your visit, or email [email protected]
Harpurhey – No.93 Crisis Café
No.93 Harpurhey Wellbeing Centre, 93 Church Lane, Manchester M9 5BG
Open: Monday to Friday, 8pm to 1am, Saturday and Sunday, 3pm to 1am
Contact: Please phone ahead of dropping in, call 07778012838 or 0161 271 0339, or email [email protected]
Manchester City Centre – Recovery Lounge, in partnership with Turning Point
Open: Monday to Friday, 5pm to 12am, Saturday and Sunday, 3pm to 12am
Contact: Call 0161 238 5249 from midday onwards until 12am, every day.
Salford Listening Lounge
Open: 24-hours a day, every day, and referrals for Salford residents can be made by health care professionals. More details here.
Trafford – Bluesci at Night Crisis Café, in partnership with Bluesci
Old Trafford Resource Centre, 54-56 Seymour Grove, Manchester M16 0LN
Open: Monday to Friday, 7pm to 2am, Saturday and Sunday, 5pm to 2am
Contact: Text or call 07933 882743, or email [email protected]
Wigan – Mental Health Support Hub
Lea Baker Café at Atherleigh Park, Atherleigh Way, Leigh WN7 1YN
Open: Monday to Sunday, 4.30pm until 11pm
Contact: If you are a Wigan service user, please contact your care co-ordinator or call Atherleigh Park reception on 01942 636 300 to check availability.
The Mental Health Joint Response Car
In addition, a mental health joint response car service will also be providing support across Bolton, Salford, Manchester, Trafford, and Wigan.
The mental health joint response car is jointly run by GMMH and Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the response car service helps to support people experiencing a crisis who come into contact with GMP whilst also reducing the number of people presenting to emergency services at busy times, by providing specialist mental health support with a clinician attending incidents alongside the police.
Find more details about Crisis Care services available at GMMH here.