Mental health crisis support available across Greater Manchester this winter
This year over 3,500 people have already received help from support centres, which offer out of hours mental health support.
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.
This year, up to the end of October 2022, over 3,500 people accessed the out of hours service, diverting those who needed mental health support away from emergency services. This number is only expected to increase over the winter months.
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.”
As well as the community hubs, a free 24/7 helpline run by GMMH is also available to help anyone who feels their mental health is beginning to suffer during the winter months.
If you live in Bolton, Salford, Trafford, Manchester, or Wigan, and experiencing a mental health crisis, you can reach out to the GMMH helpline at any time, day or night, by calling freephone 0800 953 0285.
In addition, a mental health joint response car service will also be providing support across Bolton, Salford, Manchester, Trafford, and Wigan, and will soon be rolled-out to 7-days a week.
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.
Debbie Robinson, Strategic Lead for Urgent and Emergency Care at GMMH said:
“We’re working with our partners to deliver essential out of hours services to help anyone who needs support with their mental health this winter, reducing pressures across our emergency services.
“If you, or someone you know, experiences a mental health crisis, please know that help is available.”
Locations, opening times, and contact details for the Crisis Cafés and Listening Lounges in Greater Manchester are listed below:
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 listeningloungehelp@1pointbolton.org.uk
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 GMMHCrisisCafe@gmmh.nhs.uk
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 crisiscafe@bluesci.org.uk
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.
Find more details about Crisis Care services available at GMMH here.
