A decade of direct access: Pioneering changes to mental health access are recognised
Landmark changes which provided greater support for those in mental health crisis are being celebrated.
Staff at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and South Lincolnshire MIND are marking 10 years since people were able contact mental health professionals directly via the NHS 111 helpline and the opening of two ‘safe havens’ for those experiencing emotional and mental health difficulties.
In 2016, the advancements were seen as ground-breaking and were replicated across the country as other areas followed suit.
A decade on, staff the First Response Team at CPFT – who take the calls from members of the public – and partners at CPSL Mind continue to urge people to get in touch if they need support.
Team manager Hayley Workman, who joined the First Response Service just weeks after it began operating, said: “Since 2016 we have received close to 400,000 calls. It makes us proud that we’ve been able to help so many people and give them immediate advice.
“Before we started, people would have had to go to their GP and wait for a referral to services or to A&E departments which we know are inappropriate for someone in mental health crisis, so the move to allow people to contact us directly was pioneering.”
Operating 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, clinicians working for the First Response Service aim to have a supportive conversation with every caller, rapidly assessing their needs and what steps need to be taken next.
That support can include a face-to-face assessment carried out by a member of the team, a referral to another specialist mental health team, being signposted to one of the Sanctuary safe havens run by CPSL Mind, or the caller being redirected to a community organisation better suited to support them with their needs.
Service manager Carolyne Coenen, who has been with the team for all of its first 10 years, said: “When we started, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough become only the second area in the country to offer this kind of service, and over the years we’ve had countless visits from other NHS organisations as they started their own version.
“We’re very proud of what we’ve been able achieve over the last 10 years through the support from our commissioners and our partners at CPSL Mind and all those who have worked for the team have described it as being like a family.
“Best of all has been feedback we get from people who have used the service, which is always very heartening, and the fact that people continue to reach out for help.”
The two Sanctuaries – one in Cambridge and the other in Peterborough – were also opened in 2016, providing safe, warm and welcoming environments for visitors to receive practical and emotional support from CPSL Mind’s mental health professionals. Referrals are made via the First Response Service.
In the last 12 months alone, the Sanctuary service has continued to provide essential mental health crisis support across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to over 2,300 individuals.
Harron Ahmed, Crisis Pathway Lead at CPSL Mind, said, “The Sanctuary service demonstrates the value of strong partnership working between CPSL Mind and the NHS.
“By combining clinical pathways with compassionate, community-based support, the service provides an essential component of the local mental health crisis system.
“Our highly skilled workforce will continue to work in collaboration with CPFT’s First Response Service to ensure people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough receive compassionate and accessible mental health crisis support in a safe and welcoming environment.”
CPFT provides community physical health services for older people and adults with long-term conditions, mental health services, children’s community services, social care and learning disability services. The Trust is also renowned for its research and development work and, in June 2025, was awarded Teaching Partner status by the University of Cambridge.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Andy Burrows, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Deputy Head of Communications
E communications@cpft.nhs.uk