Out of hours Wellbeing Retreat for Bridgend County Borough

Aim

Mental Health Matters Wales is working with South Wales Police, Social Services and Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board to develop a pilot Wellbeing Retreat on the outskirts of Bridgend Town. 

The service will be available between the hours of 5:00pm and 12:00am Wedesday and Friday to Sunday each week, the latest time for someone referred to the service will be 12:00am (midnight) which will help to ensure those in crisis can be appropriately supported prior to the actual closing time of the service.

The service was due to cease on the 31st March 2021, however we secured additional funding to continue the service for a further 12 months.  

The aim of the Wellbeing Retreat is to provide a safe, welcoming place where people can go outside of normal working hours, instead of A&E or other urgent services, if they are feeling emotionally distressed or are in a ‘Social Distress Service ’. 

Purpose of the service

The development and delivery of the Wellbeing Retreat aims to achieve:

• Better outcomes for individuals with acute mental health issues
• Increased satisfaction from those in receipt of services
• A reduction in admissions to A&E
• Increased capacity in the acute care pathway
• Fewer admissions to mental health inpatient acute hospital
• System wide efficiencies

Mental Health Matters Wales, alongside partners, will deliver a Wellbeing Retreat with the aim of supporting the mental health of the general population in the Bridgend area who are in, or approaching a crisis in terms of their mental health. It is envisaged, based on models of best practice nationally, that:

• Access to the Wellbeing Retreat will be through a “single point of access” referral system
• Each individual will be able to access a range of support including up to two 1:1 contacts in an evening, if in social distress
• Individuals will have a non-medical, non-stigmatised, environment in which to reduce their distress