A NEW support service is being launched in Salisbury for those struggling with their emotional or mental wellbeing.

Charity Alabaré had been due to open its Riverside Sanctuary, a "place of calm" for local vulnerable adults who are suffering from mental health issues to be able to visit and receive support, last week but due to the coronavirus pandemic it has adapted it to offer a confidential telephone service until it can be fully launched later this year.

The telephone service is aimed at anyone who is at risk of a mental health crisis or who is struggling to manage their mental wellbeing and would benefit from professional support. It is currently being run by a staff team of two, including a qualified mental health nurse, who will be able to provide guidance and advice including coping strategies and help people get further support if they need it.

Emma Wellock, the senior service manager said: "I believe as the current situation with coronavirus progresses this service will prove invaluable especially for those having to self-isolate or who regularly receive input from other services and are no longer able to access the same level of support."

Given the current coronavirus crisis, and restrictions on movement, the charity hopes the service will also be able to help anyone who is currently experiencing severe anxiety or struggling to cope as well as help reduce the number of people needing NHS services at this difficult time.

Alabaré Riverside Sanctuary had been scheduled to open on Friday, March 20. It is hoped it will be fully operational offering face-to-face support later this year.

"Riverside Sanctuary is a place of calm, it is a safe place where people that are heading towards a mental health crisis can go and just be or they can access some support. They can socialise or access one-to-one support. They can be signposted to other services and agencies. Basically, we tailor the service to the needs of the individual," said Emma.

"The telephone service is very much the same thing. People can call us if they are struggling with anxiety or their mental health. We can listen, make suggestions, give coping strategies. We can recommend other agencies and support."

The Riverside Sanctuary scheme sees Alabaré working in partnership with NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), with funding coming from a share of £1.3m government funding as part of the Beyond Places of Safety Scheme.

"It will be a huge resource," adds Emma, who is a qualified mental health nurse. "We're not there to replace other services. What we are there to do is add a little bit of extra support and take a little bit of pressure off."

Emma says Riverside Sanctuary is expecting to deal with a "variety" of mental health issues, adding: "A lot of it will probably be people that are socially isolated, struggling with anxiety and low mood - a mixed bag really."

In terms of accessing the centre, once it opens, people will need to be referred by agencies such as mental health nurses that work alongside the police, mental health teams at hospitals, 111, and the crisis team.

This Emma says is to ensure that "everyone is adequately supported" and that "risk is managed appropriately".

The new facility will have a cafe and "chill out" areas, one-to-one meeting rooms and a sensory room.

"[It will bring] a sense of security. It is that safe place were you can just be and you know that nobody is going to judge you. If you want support you can have support and if you don't that is ok too you can just come and be there. It really will bring a lot of our vulnerable people together as a community," adds Emma.

"Our mental health teams are phenomenal, they do an amazing job but this is just something different on top of that. It just means people have so many more options, which is how it should be."

Anyone wishing to access the telephone service can do so from Monday to Friday from 5pm to 10.30pm by calling 01722 466680.