Shropshire Sanctuary (professional referral only)
Shropshire Sanctuary is a multi-award-winning service operated by Shropshire Mental Health support, providing crisis support to the populations of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
The service was designed to provide an alternative to a person being subjected to a Section 136 of the Mental Health Act (MHA, 1983), at that time 85% of those who are subject to a S136 were discharged with no immediate follow up support.
Section 136 is part of the Mental Health Act that gives police emergency powers. Police can use these powers if they think you have a mental disorder, you’re in a public place and need immediate help. They can take you to A&E or Redwoods, where your mental health will be assessed.
Shropshire Sanctuary was designed to offer a more humanistic and compassionate approach, ensuring people receive immediate support in a warm, friendly environment that respects their dignity. It focusses on the persons needs in a holistic manner, providing support that the person needs, in a timely manner. Every person using the service is transported by a Shropshire MHS funded taxi to a safe place in dignified manner.
Impact:
- Established in June 2017, Shropshire Sanctuary has averted over 5,000 potential suicides, approximately 700 per year.
- Freeing Police resources, Shropshire Sanctuary saves the Police the equivalent of 4 full time Police Officers.
- S136s cost approximately £10,000-00 per individual. By averting S136s, Shropshire Sanctuary has saved public services more than £50million to date.
- The success of the service has been so great that 3 other counties have sought information to create their own version of this critical service.