North East charity Mental Health Concern and the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust are working together to pilot a "first of its kind" mental health service in our region.
The organisations will become the first in England to roll-out a "distress brief intervention" (DBI) service. This will see the charity provide support to contact someone in distress - who does not need emergency help - within 24 hours of a referral.
That support will involve specially-trained staff offer "compassionate, community-based" support, including through helping people manage their distress and signposting them to other services. The idea is that this helps someone to better manage their mental health over time.
