ADDITIONAL funding of £1million a year will help improve access to specialist mental health advice, treatment and support.

The funding boost for Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust by Surrey and North East Hampshire’s six NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, will be used to create a new single point of access for mental health services.

The new service will:–

•Extend opening hours for the mental health crisis helpline

•Provide round the clock rapid-response assessments for people in crisis making it easier and quicker for referrals

•Create a single contact point for GPs and professionals when referring; working with other public and third sector services to ensure an integrated response and

•Ensure residents in Surrey and north east Hampshire get the same service across the board.

Surrey and Borders chief medical officer Justin Wilson said: “We have been working with partners across our services, and the wider NHS, to develop a best-practice model which makes it easier for people to access the right treatment and support at the right time.

“Our service model brings together months of hard work – planning, co-designing and testing our approach – and we are delighted to be making this service a reality for our communities.”

Diane Woods, associate director of mental health commissioning at NHS Guildford and Waverley CCG, which leads on planning and buying mental health services in the two counties, added: “People have told us it is too difficult to get access to help for mental health issues, particularly when in crisis.

“These changes are all about taking away complicated barriers.”

Surrey and Borders Partnership ran field tests using the new approach last year, which showed urgent and emergency referrals were received at a rate of up to 20 per day and 100 per cent were screened and contacted within two hours.

The service will see an increase in staffing, and a recruitment and training programme. A gradual roll-out starts in the autumn.